Caleb Collins
Necessary
The man on the pedal has stopped now
the world stands still
The man on the pedal has stopped to nurse a cough with bed rest and water
Now the whole world is filled with dread
And about to falter
The man on the pedal is now dead and the world stands stagnant
so begrudgingly still so exasperatingly slow, indefinitely asphyxiated, excruciatingly inert
The man on the pedal is dead,
Killed by a million executioners,
never to be seen again, or thought of or remembered for keeping the world spinning as long as he could, never will his name be put on a wall of heroes who sacrificed all they had for us
Instead he was deemed expendable because he was useful
Necessary because he was not necessary
—Submitted on
Caleb Collins is a high school student who lives in York County, Pa., and attends the Pennsylvania Leadership Charter School. This would appear to be their first publication.
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