Bullet Holes by Brianna Davis

To be beautiful in this world

is to ignore the cracked walls and 

sinking pavement and

bullet hole after bullet hole

exposing you to the danger you cannot see.

Here, we can't tell the difference

between fireworks and gunshots.

When loud booms wake us in the night,

we look through cracked windows 

and holes in the walls

to settle our fear of the worst.

We've forgotten what color is;

we were told it is 

the blueness of the skies and seas

and the blossoming flowers in spring,

but to us, it is the pigmentation of our skin,

the signs we see on water fountains and restrooms.

But one day, we will be beautiful.

We will fill the cracks in the walls

and heal the wounds of our community.

And when we're done, 

beauty will be universal.

Brianna Davis currently resides in Norwalk, CA.  In addition to writing, she enjoys visiting museums and trying her hand at typography.  She has previously been published in Eskimo Pie and Aspiring Writers Society.