So Far Away
Annie and Kate Sullivan at Annie's graduation from the University of Puget Sound. (Photo provided by Claire Sullivan)
Whitefish Middle School eighth-grader Kate Sullivan wrote a villanelle in Angie Finberg’s English class about her older sister, Annie. The poem is about how going away to college affects those that are left behind.
Annie is a Whitefish High School graduate who swam for Whitefish and the University of Puget Sound in Washington. Annie just graduated with her master's in education and is looking for teaching jobs in the Puget Sound area.
why do you have to be so far away
doing things we did all the time alone
knowing you will never come back to stay
hoping to see you on your birthday
looking at pictures of us on my phone
why do you have to be so far away
wearing your clothes so your image won’t stray
crying remembering that you are not home
knowing that you will never come back to stay
missing the smiles you gave in the hallway
when you’re gone it hurts like a broken bone
why do you have to be so far away
my planet without you is just so gray
it hurts that your voice is such a sweet tone
knowing you will never come back to stay
it feels like you were here just yesterday
when you leave it feels like a sharp cold stone
why do you have to be so far away
knowing you will never come back to stay