Page 59 of Poet & Protector

at dawn

at dusk

We fight

by day

by night

We live

alone

apart

Unknown

I was pretty proud of what we’d accomplished. It was bare and honest, and I thought it was beautiful. I felt the words in my heart and I knew Nev did, too. Because of that I was a ball of nerves about presenting it to the class. Not because I worried Ms. Castillo or any of my classmates would think it was dumb, but because the poem reflected Guardians’ lives, which we weren’t supposed to talk about, and beneath the surface of the words was the bittersweet reality of my relationship with Nev.

It was unlikely anyone besides us would pick up on that, but I still felt exposed. Nev didn’t seem troubled at all. Maybe that was because he was used to writing poems and rendering himself, his feelings, into words on a page.

While I was in no way a shy person, I wasn’t accustomed to performing, but because of his music it was an essential part of Nev’s life. I didn’t want to let him down by failing to match his stage presence, even if we were only speaking in front of our class.

I bit the inside of my cheek, my pulse skipping as I waited for Nev to give a slight nod—our signal to begin the poem.

His chin dipped. I took a quick breath and we began.

Nev and I spoke together. “One mountain, two faces.”

“East,” I said.

“West,” he replied.

In unison, we said, “Our vigil begins.”

“Watching,” I continued.

“Waiting,” he answered.

Our voices joined again. “We run.”

“At dawn,” Nev said.

“At dusk,” I responded.

Together we said, “We fight.”

“By day,” I said.

“By night,” he replied.

As one we continued, “We live.”

“Alone,” Nev said.

“Apart,” I answered.

We concluded the poem, our voices blending one last time. “Unknown.”