Utterly Opening Up

Love is an exquisite aspect;

It says, “Come here, open yourself up to the world”

At first, you are reluctant;

But give it some time, you will give in…

To all of the things you swore you never would.

That you would never trust anyone with your words, thoughts, and raw emotions That cut so deep

And then all of a sudden a rush of emotions comes over you

Like you’re outside in the pouring rain with no umbrella,

Completely vulnerable and unprotected

Whilest standing in the glistening rain of emotions.

Uncontrollably, of course. There is no hiding them anymore.

For rain can only bottle itself up so much,

And then it explodes like a million pieces of shattered glass,

Falling all around;

Happiness

Sadness

Anger

Love

Empathy

Growth

Annoyance

Utter, pure joy

Squeals of excitement

All of which have now been shared with the person I call my person.

I learned that if only one person empties out their emotions, only a semi-circle can be made.

If you want a full, ongoing, continuous circle,

Both people must open up entirely.

Here we are, a year and some months later,

I admit I have few regrets,

But none of them being….

Utterly opening up.

~ G.E.S.

Who We Want to Be

Who We Want to Be

Popular.

That’s what he was.

Confident, Smooth, Flirtatious, Athletic, and… Popular.

He was the captain of the football team; he had been starting varsity as a running back since freshman year. The Friday night lights were his home turf, no pun intended. The epitome of pure athleticism. He carried himself with an air of confidence few could rival. He was completely at ease on and off the field. He was like a god, and he knew it.

Walking the halls, he towered over the others, not in stature, but in an attitude that could fill a room. No one could walk down the hall and leave the same impression. The effortless saunter. The casual toss of his head. The easygoing smirk. He was a magnet. All the girls wanted to be with him, and all the guys wanted to be him.

School wasn’t his best subject, but who cared? He got decent enough grades to get into college, and he’d go for a football scholarship. So what if he talked back to a couple teachers? He didn’t care. He had his friends at his side and a girl on each arm. Who needed approval when he already got all the respect he needed? He got invited to all the parties. In fact, if he wasn’t invited, there was no party. He was everywhere that was anywhere worth being.

He ruled the school. This guy was the stuff out of movies. A god among mortals. A sensation. A hit. A star. A stud.

He exists. In the deepest corners of our minds. He is who we want to be. He may not always look the same, but he is always there. He is us, but better. And he knows it.
- S. Louis

Comfy Couch Cusions

It's the fluff of freshly messed up blankets,

The poof of newly thrown pillows

With the mumble of the TV and the snow piling outside the windows

The day couldn't be any more lazy

It looks so luxurious for being ages over well worn

The world starts to tilt as you fall

Down down down you go with the weight of the world lifted off your shoulders

Remembering the nights of cuddling that now felt like days

The overstuffed naps that were never long enough

And the endless pillow fights that always ended too soon

Even with the thuds of summer sledding down the stairs, they still looked relaxing

Down your still falling coming closer and closer to them

They served as a battlefield or a bunker

They've been enormous forts that have come crashing down

All of this always came along with a stern scolding but endless smiles

As the cushions get closer your memories get older

Now to the date nights with salty popcorn slipping through the cracks

Only to contradict with the break up ice cream stains

But none of these flattened your hopes and dreams

You can see the seams now and you're surprised they still hold

After the tumble they took off your truck at 60 down a highway

And they endless washing only to be rewashed once again

The pet claws and the maker’s flaws are countless all the more

As the fall gets longer, of your memories, you get fonder

Filled with midnight movie binges and lazy talks of everything under the sun

The snuggles that turned into just a little bit more, which led to him down on one knee

Onto your decent, you can see the white lace of your dress, still caught in the springs

And how you both laughed till the morning light caught you, only to have your first real fight

But to balance this out you started a family filled to the brim with stinky diapers

Overflowing with love for each other, you hold tight to one another

The closer you get the more you can tell, where the peanut butter fingerprints fell

The sweet cinnamon apple pies never lasted too long in a house full of boys

But the house grew silent as they moved onward, but steadfast he stands beside you

He’ll stand beside you till the day he dies, you know this in your soul, and he keeps his word

You remember it like it was yesterday, for it was

His musk still lingers on them but he is gone forevermore

Your fingers brush past where his once lay, you must hold your tears at bay

They comfort you gently and slowly ease you in, you’ll sleep forever and be with him finally

In the comfy couch cushions

~Yours Truly

These I have loved;

The ocean’s waves, cold on my feet

The sand of the beach brushing against me

The melody of birds chirping from the shore

The sun breaking through the blinds as early as 6 in the morning

Walks on the beach while chasing angered crabs

Laying in the sun until my sunburn is bad

Going past all of the places I’ve loved and realizing my heart belongs to places rather than things

Plane rides with books, headphones, and peanuts to eat

Even the things I don’t talk about, such as TSA chaos

Dolphins in the distance humping over the waves

The view of the lighthouse casting through my bedroom shades

For I have loved North Carolina

MED

I can't...

I can’t imagine

How you survived your life

I can’t imagine

How hard you had to fight

I can’t imagine

How you felt holding that knife

No I can’t imagine…

No I can’t imagine.

Don’t leave us here today

We all want you to stay.

Oh please don’t go away

Oh please don’t go away

But I am sad to say

That today was yesterday

I can’t even think about

How terrible they could be

I can’t even think about

The bad things that you’ve seen

I can’t even think about

Your parents falling on their knees

I can’t even think about

No I can’t think about.

Oh no don’t leave us here today

We all want you to stay

Oh please don’t go away

Oh please don’t go away

But I am sad to say

That today was yesterday.

I can’t believe that

You wanted to be gone

I can’t believe that

You wanted me to write this song

No I can not believe that

You wanted your new life to dawn.

I can not believe

No I will not believe.

Please don’t leave us here today

We all want you here to stay

Oh please don’t go away

Please don’t go away

But I am sad to say…

That today was yesterday.

- A Guy With a Songwriting Hobby

Nothing to do

When i’m bored on

On a rainy day

Snow day,

Even a sunny day

I’m always stay inside

Cuddled up in bed

Playing my xbox

Listening to music

Taking a lot of naps

Sometimes i would bake some cookies just for the heck of it

Even if i burned them

I still tried to salvage them

Because i would be too lazy to make another batch

At the end of the day

Everything stays the same

Being bored almost 24/7

~Steve

Nothing to do poem

Nothing to do nothing to do,

I have nothing to do

Some people pace

some people go to their happy place

Some people express with taste

Ticking clocks and creaky floorboards

No music no sound to be found

Time moving slow as dripping sap

Take a nap and put your head into my lap

Dream wild into the clouds where magic is allowed

Stay loud stay proud shout it out into the crowd

No one hears but only you

How ever are you going to get through?

A remedy that is hard to cure

Boredom is boring that’s for sure

Restless and frustrating to have nothing to do

Figuring out something to do can be the absolute worst

But sometimes having nothing to do can’t be all that bad…

It gives you time to take a nap

Curl up in a blanket like potatoes in a sack

Or go on your phone and tap

Nothing to do nothing to do…

Days without friends seem to never end

But days without can be a trend

Busy all the time where you everything in the world to do

But nothing. Why have nothing to do when you can do something?

There’s always something to do.  

B.M.

Mr. Oogie Boogie

His name was Mr. Oogie Boogie.  Glowing green eyes and insides full of gook.  He’d grab your feet if they hung off your bed while you slept, drag you to the underside of the bed, and feast on your brain and insides; or so it was told.  Mr. Boogie lived beneath the bed, but whenever I checked, he wasn’t there. I don’t know, he never bothered me truly, my room was plenty big for two. My friends, on the other hand, would trap that Oogie boogie given the chance and surely kill him.  He had never nabbed them either, but they were so terrified that they thought that if they got to him first, he’d be rendered helpless. Glowing green eyes and insides full of gook? Maybe they’re the most beautiful green eyes anyone’s ever seen, maybe his insides are not because of the fault of his own, but maybe he was just made this way.  His scratchy skin surely is nothing a little moisturizer cannot fix!  The wicked smile etched to his face is one that has never seen a genuine smile, maybe he truly is just trying to be kind, but no one taught him how.  Maybe the reason he gobbles up little girls and boys is that he’s never tasted an Oreo!  Those surely have to taste better than anything a little girl or boy could offer.  Maybe he’s not very nice because no one is ever nice to him. Mr. Oogie Boogie surely cannot be that bad.  For everyone has monsters inside them, everyone has imperfections, it’s whether or not you are willing to overlook them that counts.

I have my own as well, Mr. Oogie Boogie, it’s all okay.  Sometimes my words can be harsh, and my face can hold a hostile expression.  I wonder if, on a bad day, I am the worst nightmare of another, just like you, Mr. Oogie Boogie.  Maybe then, I’d be able to understand those who have their bad days far more often than I. Maybe, if I too had a smooshed face, insides filled with gook, and sadness in my heart, I would be Mr. Oogie Boogie too.  So maybe Mr. Oogie Boogie isn’t terrifying per say, but misunderstood. But what would I know? I’ve never met the guy. I just am a firm believer that there’s a Mr. Oogie Boogie inside all of us.

J.G.S

This I Believe

I believe in fate. I believe in the kind of fate that takes the things I did today and builds a path to tomorrow. I make my own decisions and those, in turn, play out and bring whatever consequences or blessings I deserve for making the choices that I did, but I believe that what is meant to be will eventually come to pass, whether I like it or not. So maybe I believe in karma? I think it’s a little bit of both. It gives me a sense of relief, if I’m being honest. If I make a wrong decision or mistake, I have faith that it will all eventually play out in the end. Maybe the course my life takes will be different than it would have been, but I can’t spend my entire existence thinking about what could have been. It’s the now that matters. Life gives me each moment and I try to live them; but it’s hard. It’s so hard. It’s so hard to not spend the very moment I’m trying to live worrying about how to live it. It is so easy to get caught up in the hustle and bustle of everyday life. Without even knowing it, another day is gone and I can bet, nine times out of ten, I didn’t spend one moment of it living. Surviving is so much different than living. I just have to trust that Fate will handle it and keep going because the future may feel far away, but it’s starting right now.

This I believe.

~S. Rae

The Glass Starfish

The Glass Starfish

My good friend got me this beautiful greenish blueish star fish while on her trip to Boston, Massachusetts. I like it a lot, even though I don’t really know what the meaning for it is. Probably just a cool little decoration. I really like it not only because it was from one of my friends, but also because my grandma Sharon is from Massachusetts.

She was born and raised in Lynn, Massachusetts. She tells me how much she loved the ocean and how she can still smell it. She has also told me that she spent most of her free time at the beach. My grandma called herself a sun worshiper. I love hearing her stories of how it was like there and how different it was from here. She likes living in the country here. I think she would sit outside all day and just relaxing listening to the wind and the animals all around her. She is the type of lady I would like to be someday.

CJ

A Small Piece of a Big World

I believe that our world and the events that take place in it are too complex and diverse to try to comprehend. I will never know why I am who I am or why I do the things that I do, but while I am here living my life, it is best to live my life to the fullest, regardless of the risk. Being cautious will get me nowhere in life. Taking risks is the key to success. In my life, I have risked being judged on numerous occasions for the risks that I have taken. But the thing to remember is that those risks have always paid off in the long run. A great life will not be determined by the number of worldly possessions I have or the dollar amount in my bank account, but instead, it will be determined by how well I take advantage of each moment and memory that was presented to me. Regret is one of the worst feelings in the world, so I am going to try my hardest to never have to feel that emotion. There is no point to it. If I take advantage of every opportunity, I will never have to wonder “what if”.

I believe in the power of hope and how important it is to remain strong in the darkest times. My grandparents are the strongest people I know, battling through numerous health conditions to be able to live their life the way they want it. I’ll never know why my grandma was chosen to have to battle the horrible thing that is cancer, but I know that there’s a reason for everything. I’ll never know why my grandpa was taken from me before I even got to know him, but I feel him with me every day. Good can still come from the worst situations with the power of hope.

I believe that everything in our life happens for a reason. When little parts of life start to break down and fall apart, I cannot act as though the world is ending too. My life, while small in the grand scheme of things, is important to my world and to the people who I experience my life with. Even when I feel alone, I know that my family and the people closest to me are still there. Without me, the world would not be the same place that it is right now. Each action has an opposite and equal reaction. I must live by this small belief so I can remind myself that no action comes without a consequence, whether that consequence is good or bad. No matter where I am in my life, by remembering that I am important to this world, I will be okay.

I believe that no one can control this world, so it is best to live your life the way you want it. I believe that hope is the most important emotion during hard times. I believe that everything that happens has a greater purpose. This I believe.

I have been an abundance of places,

I have seen an abundance of things,

I have met an abundance of people,

I have done an abundance of things.

I look out the window of my 2016

A Solemn sight it is to glance at that Salem sign.

I can almost hear glass breaking all over again- brakes squealing, and dust burning my skin.

It’s different this time around though. The thought of it is less bitter and more sweet.

The sun breaks through the clouds and I think about my Guardian Angel.

Who could it have been? Who stood by my side in the ambulance? Who kneeled next to me as I fell to my knees on the side of the road and broke down?

I make my way over the hill and that old sign inches further and further away.

The 520th avenue sign glows in emerald green, the same color of the eyes of my childhood best friend.

I smile as I think of all the times we shared in that farmhouse, like watching our first R rated movie together when we were 11 and wondering why anyone would want to voluntarily watch something so bazaar.

I can smell her mom’s potato soup again that waited for us inside after a long day of sledding for her 7th birthday.

I continue on until I arrive at Lincoln, I move the last of my belongings and I am all alone for the first time.

I think of all the places I’ve been, the things I’ve done, the people I’ve met

Suddenly it doesn’t feel so lonely anymore.

Where will I go from here? Who will I meet? What will I become?

md