Something Important
By Blair Hill
 
Can I ask you something important?
 
I saw a girl today
on the bus to Sullivan Station.
She was speaking to a being
that no one else could see:
her pointer finger tapping
urgently on every window
close by. She was
clearly having a critical conversation
with the voices inside her head.
 
I saw a woman today
on the Orange Line toward Oak Grove.
She was telling everyone
not to get off at State,
because that’s where the devil lived.
She got off at State,
black trash bags and all.
She had long white hair, knotted tightly.
She was wound up like a ball of white twine.
 
I saw a man today
at his usual spot in Sullivan.
He sat in his wheelchair
with his eyes locked on the ground
and his cup held out,
begging for more than just money
from the passerby.
I’ve seen this man so many times,
but I have to wonder: does he remember me?
 
Can I ask you something important?
 
I used to think that everything would be okay:
that my body would die long before my mind.
But what if it doesn’t?
What happens then?
Do I become the woman tapping on the glass?
Do I keep my eyes locked on the pavement
as the voices in my head wreak havoc
on the stone walls I’ve crafted
to keep each of them out?
 
Can I ask you something important?
 
Will you still love me
when I tell you the devil
is at State Street?

​

Meet the Poet: Blair Hill

Blair graduated in 2015 from Truman State University with a Bachelor of Arts in English. Since graduating, Blair has done some traveling, including moving to Boston, MA for 8 months to work with high school students from around the globe. She has also been working as a writing tutor with Pearson for the past year. Blair has been an intern with Dreaming Big Publications since April of 2016, and is working on compiling her very own collection of poetry through the company! Blair hopes to continue editing in the future. Her main passions are reading, writing, singing, and minority rights. Blair is currently based in rural Iowa with hopes to travel more soon.

Here's a little more about Blair! 

What made you apply for the Dreaming Big internship?

BH: After I graduated from college, I knew I wanted to work with an up-and-coming publishing company. I was looking at all of these different companies when I came across Dreaming Big; their emphasis on mental health really appealed to me personally, so I decided to apply. I’ve never regretted that decision! 

When did you start to write poetry?

BH: I started writing poetry in high school, but I probably didn’t write my first decent poem until college. In college I met a lot of people who made me want to write, both professors and peers. I’ve always been surrounded by creative-minded people, and I’m truly thankful for that.

What do you like about poetry?
 
BH: I think poetry doesn’t have to follow the same rules as something like fiction; it allows you to play with things like theme and form in a really freeing way. I think there are things that I can say in my poetry that I could never express through conversation.