you leave your school trip to play baseball. you are in the championship game. you know your pitching against a good team. you arrive in Houston and the weather is terrible. you feel the humidity seeping through your shirt. you start to warm up with you team and you see your coach there in a suite. you feel butterflies floating in your stomach. you start off the game not doing to bad. you give up one hit. you give up two hits. you give up a third. you give up a total of 7 runs by the end of the third. your done pitching thankfully. you have to bring you team back in the game by hitting. you walk up to the plate with your team losing by 1 run. your in the moment of the 5th inning magic. your count is 1 ball two strikes. you see the pitch. you swing. you watch it fly over the fence. I won the game.
You are an idiot. There is no reason to end a good thing now. All day spent having a blast and you are going to blow it by ending so soon. Your attitude stinks. You know it could have been better. "Why do all things have to come to such an abrubt end" he said? Driving away from the beach was the hardest thing ive ever done. "You know you will regret this...". you know that you will want to come back. He continued to make it harder and harder to go. You know what im done trying to convince you... so much time waisted. You are no longer worth my time. The boy and girl drove off with the sun shining at their backs, tears in their eyes.
you step out of the shower, put on your towel and dry yourself off. your skin is still chilly from the ice cold water. you walk around the corner and put on your clothes, the crinkle from the clothes line and warmth comforts you. you walk outside into the hall to turn off the water switch, the only red light on a white rough plaster wall. next you shuffle your feet to the porch and staind on the railing to get the morning view of kilimanjaro before the clouds roll in. you walk downstairs and eat your breakfast, but your tired so you do not eat fast, infact quite the opposite, you eat very slowly. you pour your tea and the cup breaks, danm should have rubbed it warm first. you slowly shuffle over to the gate, tell the man that you are stepping outside. he says ok, as you walk down the washed out dirt road when you are 400 feet away from the gate, close enough to shelter yourself from rain, far enough so that you are not safe from kidnappers, a car pull up. you are nevous. it stops 20 feet in front of you. you watch as all four doors open at once. four large men step out in nice clothing. you are scared, you are nervous. they step towards you, you look down close your eyes and walk swiftly towards the gate. False alarm, its Sunday.
You wake up, looking out over the cool water, preparing yourself for the long day ahead. The sun comes over the tops of the trees that shadow the small campsite you're about to leave. Stepping into the cool water, a tingle runs up your spine as you climb into your canoe. Today is a thirteen mile treck, the longest of your trip. Armed with your compass and a map you sit at the stern paving the course for you and the other twelve members of your crew. Uncertainty creeps into your head as you realize that every one of these water islands looks exactly the same as the next. You can't lose your confidence now, the day has only just started. A few hours pass as you lead aimlessly in the direction that you think is the right path. Eight days of paddling has left your arms sore and tired, but never mind that now, its the last day of your journey. Several hours go by, you're now feeling the heat of the afternoon sun as a line of sweat forms just above your brow. Turning a corner, you see an American flag hoisted above the treeline in the far horizon. Your crew members raise their paddles in the air and cheer. You've finally made it back to base camp. You smile and wonder if they'll have something good for dinner.
You swear you will never do this again. You feel your nerves rushing through your body. Your senses are at their peek, especially your sense of touch. You feel the safety belt secure around your body. You think about some freak accident happening where you fly out of the ride and splat onto the concrete. You clear the previous thought by grabbing your neighbors hand firmly, letting them know you’re scared. They respond by firmly grabbing your hand and assuring you that they are scared as well. You wiggle around in the seat trying to find the most comfortable spot. The painfully shiny silver floor beneath you gives and the ride begins to move. It sways back and forth, gaining height and speed as the seconds pass. Before you know it you’re 30 feet above the ground starring down directly at the pavement. “Ouch” you think to yourself. A rush of adrenaline races through your veins. Your stomach is filled with butterflies playfully fluttering their wings. You picture these butterflies, all different colors and sizes. How beautiful. You suddenly remember why you do this to yourself; you love the rush. You feel alive.
You wake up in the morning to the sound of your alarm clock screaming at you to get out of bed. You hit the snooze button, and try to go back to sleep. You really wish it was the weekend so that you could sleep in. A few minutes later you hear your mother walking down the hall, telling you it is time to get up for school. You roll your eyes - it can't be 6:45 already. The room is freezing cold and you don't want to get out of bed just yet. You have two tests and a paper due today, and you are not looking forward to it. She comes in your room and turns on the light. Finally, you stumble out of bed, almost tripping over your dog - who lies asleep on the floor - like you do every morning. He picks up his head, looks at you, then jumps up and stretches. You get ready for school, grab your backpack and keys, tell your brother to hurry up, then go out to your car. You drive to school, still not fully awake, having forgotten to have any coffee this morning. You get to school, park your car and walk inside the building, ready for another day.
You sit there, thinking, what is college like? You wait hopelessly for months, wanting to know where you will end up. Thinking everyday, will they like you? Your grades suck, it will be embarrassing when they reject you. Everyone will think, oh you got rejected. The applications are a bitch. They act like they care about all of this information. The same damn essays are on every application, not to mention they are dumb as shit. You look for something to write about, but end up reiterating and regurgitating some bull shit story that you honestly could care less about. Lets be honest, you tell them what they want to hear. College is a game and you need to play it to your advantage. You desperately try to ace the ACT but the truth is, that does not prove anything. It tests you to see how fast you could do the math problem, not how smart you are. If you get lucky and finish applying by october, you wait....and wait....and wait... You cant wait for the day to get your letter back from that college, having that false hope that you could get in. In reality, you got fucking rejected from those bastards who think they are that much better than you. They just slapped you in the face and told you "fuck you, you are not good enough to go to our university". Your self esteems stoops to an all time low. You wish you could hit that shit out of that admissions person and tell them everything wrong in their university and point out all of their flaws, essentially making them feel like shit. But why think of these things if you got in, you have no clue.
Your heart leaps as you look around. You see blue, pink, gold, silver,red, leopard, navy, and prints. There are so many versions of the shoe you love so much. You glide across the plush carpet to pick up the first pair that catches your eye. You love the medallion that sparkles on the toes of the shoe. The salesperson hovering like a helicopter approaches you to take your shoe size. A shock of panic runs through you, what if they don't have any more of this shoe in your size? That would be absolutely terrible because you want to wear them now, and you don't want to have to wait until they come in the mail. As the salesperson walks back into the storage area, you pick up another pair and another and another and another. The top 20 on 20 tunes fill the air of the department store, but you hardly notice. You are in your own world surrounded by the most beautiful pieces of artwork. You admire the creations of Tory Burch, Jimmy Choo, Christian Louboutin, Manolo Blahnik, and many more. You have one focus today though, and it is on the Tory Burch. Your love for them has just begun. The excitement rises up in you as the salesperson carries back the box with the classic logo printed on all sides. You slip on the silver ballet flats, and you can't help but admire the shine of the Tory Burch medallion. The shoes are so new, and you love the feeling of purchasing a new pair of shoes. Chills run through your body as the credit card slides through the machine finalizing your purchase of these beautiful shoes. You now own them. Your first pair of Tory Burch are placed in a bag and handed to you. You feel on top of the world. Your obsession with Tory Burch has begun.
You tilted your head to the side trying to comprehend what was in front of you. His birthday is coming up and you forgot. How could you forget!? Then again, you're not at fault because you don't have many memories about him. Maybe one, but even then your not sure if it's just a confabulation of your mind trying to appease the need of that loving and caring brother. what do you see exactly in front of you? It is death you see, but now that you are much older you see the life that sprung of from that seed of death. Because of him you don't do drugs, and always listen to your conscience. You are grateful for the small things in life like a small flower growing on the side of the road. You give it hope because you believe that it can grow into a beautiful flower. Yet, what about you? Why do you still feel alone? You have all the support you ever need, but its not the same. What is the "same" that you seek? What equality is it that you keep searching for? You blink a few times, you look closer, and you see the wrinkles inside the bullet hole. You see the flow and look down, that's when you notice the river of tears flowing down your face. You miss it.
You wake up early, spill out of bed, but forget to put your legs down in time to hit the rough seagrass carpet. Your alarm across the room enables you to sleep five minutes longer and in turn you drag across the room to turn off the annoying, repetitive mariachi music. The day you have waited weeks for finally came about, bags packed and by the front door, your ride outside laying on the horn. You gather your over packed bags and make your way down the walk way into your friends car almost tripping down every step. You safely make it to the car and plop down in the passenger seat with the heat on full blast. Hitting every bump down Woodway, you make your way to Starbucks to meet up with three other girls to caravan to Austin for ACL. Loaded up on caffeine you sprint to the car to start the long journey of a trip that you will never forget.
You walk up to the corn dog stand. The area around it has quickly gone from hundreds of people to maybe five or six. You are with a friend and no one is there, but Larry the corn dog man. You and your friend begin to converse with him. You quickly learn he travels with this corn dog stand year round. He moves all over the United States from Nebraska to Arizona and back to Texas, where he comes every year. Larry has few teeth. He wears a bandana and a cowboy hat. He likes his job. He sells corn dogs, nachos, and caramelized apples. Everything in his stand is overpriced and greasy, but yet he continually has to restock. He does not work alone. He has a partner from Venezuela. She doesn’t speak English and is only two years older than you. You walk away after receiving free water and buying a corn dog. You bite into the corn dog tasting the soft bread dissolve into your mouth. You then take a sip of the ice-cold water as you feel the ice through the cup on your fingertips. Larry waves goodbye to you and your friend, for you only see him again later that night at the corn dog stand.
Your alarm clock lights up as the volume on the radio ascends simultaneously. The clock flashes 7:05 am. You stare up at the ceiling, listening to the end of the new Keith Urban song playing through the radio. You hear your little sister in the bathroom, brushing her teeth, along with your mom downstairs, making a smoothie out of foods she has labeled ‘healthy’. You scoot towards the window and lift up the curtain, surprised to see another beautiful day for the third day in a row in Houston, Texas. For some reason you do not struggle to wake yourself up, you are eager to head to school, eager to see your friends. This is usually not the case; you usually are resentful, stressed out, tired and upset for some reason. But today is not that day, today you feel content, for what may be the first time in a long time. Today you feel the world wants to be on your team, that things will go your way. You stumble out of bed, listening to your feet crack with each first step. Squinting, you realize your bedroom is a mess: cowboy boots, running shoes, an empty water bottle, and some jewelry all sprawled out sporadically in the bedroom. You take one last glace at the messy bedroom, and head to the bathroom to wash your face. You can barely see your face in the mirror, as the glare is so strong coming from the opposite window.
You have been working on this routine for months. You cant believe you are actually here now. Warm up went well, but your nerves are eating away at your stomach. You walk away from the warmup area and see where you and your team are about to go. There is a huge entry way leading to the competition floor. It was to be at least twenty feet tall and ten feet wide. Inside it is dark but you see flashing lights moving all around the floor. The announcer calls on the next team. Its loud and you hear screams and yells from the team that is performing now. This is their shot, their time to shine. What they have worked hard on for months on end. Just like you and your team. Your team's blood sweat and tears have gone into this effort. You have to perform your best. There is no other option. Its your turn to go. your team lines up outside. Now your stomach is doing flips over and over. You take a deep breath. You are ready. The announcer calls your team and its time to go.
Your car slowly comes to a stop in the vacant parking lot; “you have reached your destination,” shouts the lady in your father’s phone. You reluctantly slide your weak body out of the vehicle; your delicate eyes are unprepared for the upcoming sight. Your family heads toward the building while you trail behind, trying to mentally prepare yourself. As you open the door to the building, a sudden gust of wind hits you square between the eyes; you are now drenched with the nauseating mixture of death and flowers. Quiet piano music crowds your empty head as you follow the old woman to your aunt’s room. Once at her room, you patiently wait in the narrow hallway for your turn to go inside. You still cannot believe you are there; she was way too young to die. You stand outside with your father and your brother; “give the father and sister a moment,” you are told before proceeding inside. You strive to keep it together, but the wails of your loved ones rip at your heart. It's finally your turn to view the body; you immediately lose it. You try to be strong for your mother and you grandfather, all you can do is hold them in your arms.
you leave your school trip to play baseball.
ReplyDeleteyou are in the championship game.
you know your pitching against a good team.
you arrive in Houston and the weather is terrible.
you feel the humidity seeping through your shirt.
you start to warm up with you team and you see your coach there in a suite.
you feel butterflies floating in your stomach.
you start off the game not doing to bad.
you give up one hit.
you give up two hits.
you give up a third.
you give up a total of 7 runs by the end of the third.
your done pitching thankfully.
you have to bring you team back in the game by hitting.
you walk up to the plate with your team losing by 1 run.
your in the moment of the 5th inning magic.
your count is 1 ball two strikes.
you see the pitch.
you swing.
you watch it fly over the fence.
I won the game.
You are an idiot. There is no reason to end a good thing now. All day spent having a blast and you are going to blow it by ending so soon. Your attitude stinks. You know it could have been better. "Why do all things have to come to such an abrubt end" he said? Driving away from the beach was the hardest thing ive ever done. "You know you will regret this...". you know that you will want to come back. He continued to make it harder and harder to go. You know what im done trying to convince you... so much time waisted. You are no longer worth my time. The boy and girl drove off with the sun shining at their backs, tears in their eyes.
ReplyDeletezs
ReplyDeleteyou step out of the shower, put on your towel and dry yourself off. your skin is still chilly from the ice cold water. you walk around the corner and put on your clothes, the crinkle from the clothes line and warmth comforts you. you walk outside into the hall to turn off the water switch, the only red light on a white rough plaster wall. next you shuffle your feet to the porch and staind on the railing to get the morning view of kilimanjaro before the clouds roll in. you walk downstairs and eat your breakfast, but your tired so you do not eat fast, infact quite the opposite, you eat very slowly. you pour your tea and the cup breaks, danm should have rubbed it warm first. you slowly shuffle over to the gate, tell the man that you are stepping outside. he says ok, as you walk down the washed out dirt road when you are 400 feet away from the gate, close enough to shelter yourself from rain, far enough so that you are not safe from kidnappers, a car pull up. you are nevous. it stops 20 feet in front of you. you watch as all four doors open at once. four large men step out in nice clothing. you are scared, you are nervous. they step towards you, you look down close your eyes and walk swiftly towards the gate. False alarm, its Sunday.
ReplyDeleteYou wake up, looking out over the cool water, preparing yourself for the long day ahead. The sun comes over the tops of the trees that shadow the small campsite you're about to leave. Stepping into the cool water, a tingle runs up your spine as you climb into your canoe. Today is a thirteen mile treck, the longest of your trip. Armed with your compass and a map you sit at the stern paving the course for you and the other twelve members of your crew. Uncertainty creeps into your head as you realize that every one of these water islands looks exactly the same as the next. You can't lose your confidence now, the day has only just started. A few hours pass as you lead aimlessly in the direction that you think is the right path. Eight days of paddling has left your arms sore and tired, but never mind that now, its the last day of your journey. Several hours go by, you're now feeling the heat of the afternoon sun as a line of sweat forms just above your brow. Turning a corner, you see an American flag hoisted above the treeline in the far horizon. Your crew members raise their paddles in the air and cheer. You've finally made it back to base camp. You smile and wonder if they'll have something good for dinner.
ReplyDeleteYou swear you will never do this again. You feel your nerves rushing through your body. Your senses are at their peek, especially your sense of touch. You feel the safety belt secure around your body. You think about some freak accident happening where you fly out of the ride and splat onto the concrete. You clear the previous thought by grabbing your neighbors hand firmly, letting them know you’re scared. They respond by firmly grabbing your hand and assuring you that they are scared as well. You wiggle around in the seat trying to find the most comfortable spot. The painfully shiny silver floor beneath you gives and the ride begins to move. It sways back and forth, gaining height and speed as the seconds pass. Before you know it you’re 30 feet above the ground starring down directly at the pavement. “Ouch” you think to yourself. A rush of adrenaline races through your veins. Your stomach is filled with butterflies playfully fluttering their wings. You picture these butterflies, all different colors and sizes. How beautiful. You suddenly remember why you do this to yourself; you love the rush. You feel alive.
ReplyDeleteYou wake up in the morning to the sound of your alarm clock screaming at you to get out of bed. You hit the snooze button, and try to go back to sleep. You really wish it was the weekend so that you could sleep in. A few minutes later you hear your mother walking down the hall, telling you it is time to get up for school. You roll your eyes - it can't be 6:45 already. The room is freezing cold and you don't want to get out of bed just yet. You have two tests and a paper due today, and you are not looking forward to it. She comes in your room and turns on the light. Finally, you stumble out of bed, almost tripping over your dog - who lies asleep on the floor - like you do every morning. He picks up his head, looks at you, then jumps up and stretches. You get ready for school, grab your backpack and keys, tell your brother to hurry up, then go out to your car. You drive to school, still not fully awake, having forgotten to have any coffee this morning. You get to school, park your car and walk inside the building, ready for another day.
ReplyDeleteSH
You sit there, thinking, what is college like? You wait hopelessly for months, wanting to know where you will end up. Thinking everyday, will they like you? Your grades suck, it will be embarrassing when they reject you. Everyone will think, oh you got rejected. The applications are a bitch. They act like they care about all of this information. The same damn essays are on every application, not to mention they are dumb as shit. You look for something to write about, but end up reiterating and regurgitating some bull shit story that you honestly could care less about. Lets be honest, you tell them what they want to hear. College is a game and you need to play it to your advantage. You desperately try to ace the ACT but the truth is, that does not prove anything. It tests you to see how fast you could do the math problem, not how smart you are. If you get lucky and finish applying by october, you wait....and wait....and wait... You cant wait for the day to get your letter back from that college, having that false hope that you could get in. In reality, you got fucking rejected from those bastards who think they are that much better than you. They just slapped you in the face and told you "fuck you, you are not good enough to go to our university". Your self esteems stoops to an all time low. You wish you could hit that shit out of that admissions person and tell them everything wrong in their university and point out all of their flaws, essentially making them feel like shit. But why think of these things if you got in, you have no clue.
ReplyDeleteYour heart leaps as you look around. You see blue, pink, gold, silver,red, leopard, navy, and prints. There are so many versions of the shoe you love so much. You glide across the plush carpet to pick up the first pair that catches your eye. You love the medallion that sparkles on the toes of the shoe. The salesperson hovering like a helicopter approaches you to take your shoe size. A shock of panic runs through you, what if they don't have any more of this shoe in your size? That would be absolutely terrible because you want to wear them now, and you don't want to have to wait until they come in the mail. As the salesperson walks back into the storage area, you pick up another pair and another and another and another. The top 20 on 20 tunes fill the air of the department store, but you hardly notice. You are in your own world surrounded by the most beautiful pieces of artwork. You admire the creations of Tory Burch, Jimmy Choo, Christian Louboutin, Manolo Blahnik, and many more. You have one focus today though, and it is on the Tory Burch. Your love for them has just begun. The excitement rises up in you as the salesperson carries back the box with the classic logo printed on all sides. You slip on the silver ballet flats, and you can't help but admire the shine of the Tory Burch medallion. The shoes are so new, and you love the feeling of purchasing a new pair of shoes. Chills run through your body as the credit card slides through the machine finalizing your purchase of these beautiful shoes. You now own them. Your first pair of Tory Burch are placed in a bag and handed to you. You feel on top of the world. Your obsession with Tory Burch has begun.
ReplyDeleteAV
dw
ReplyDeleteYou tilted your head to the side trying to comprehend what was in front of you. His birthday is coming up and you forgot. How could you forget!? Then again, you're not at fault because you don't have many memories about him. Maybe one, but even then your not sure if it's just a confabulation of your mind trying to appease the need of that loving and caring brother. what do you see exactly in front of you? It is death you see, but now that you are much older you see the life that sprung of from that seed of death. Because of him you don't do drugs, and always listen to your conscience. You are grateful for the small things in life like a small flower growing on the side of the road. You give it hope because you believe that it can grow into a beautiful flower. Yet, what about you? Why do you still feel alone? You have all the support you ever need, but its not the same. What is the "same" that you seek? What equality is it that you keep searching for? You blink a few times, you look closer, and you see the wrinkles inside the bullet hole. You see the flow and look down, that's when you notice the river of tears flowing down your face. You miss it.
ReplyDeleteYou wake up early, spill out of bed, but forget to put your legs down in time to hit the rough seagrass carpet. Your alarm across the room enables you to sleep five minutes longer and in turn you drag across the room to turn off the annoying, repetitive mariachi music. The day you have waited weeks for finally came about, bags packed and by the front door, your ride outside laying on the horn. You gather your over packed bags and make your way down the walk way into your friends car almost tripping down every step. You safely make it to the car and plop down in the passenger seat with the heat on full blast. Hitting every bump down Woodway, you make your way to Starbucks to meet up with three other girls to caravan to Austin for ACL. Loaded up on caffeine you sprint to the car to start the long journey of a trip that you will never forget.
ReplyDeleteEA
You walk up to the corn dog stand. The area around it has quickly gone from hundreds of people to maybe five or six. You are with a friend and no one is there, but Larry the corn dog man. You and your friend begin to converse with him. You quickly learn he travels with this corn dog stand year round. He moves all over the United States from Nebraska to Arizona and back to Texas, where he comes every year. Larry has few teeth. He wears a bandana and a cowboy hat. He likes his job. He sells corn dogs, nachos, and caramelized apples. Everything in his stand is overpriced and greasy, but yet he continually has to restock. He does not work alone. He has a partner from Venezuela. She doesn’t speak English and is only two years older than you. You walk away after receiving free water and buying a corn dog. You bite into the corn dog tasting the soft bread dissolve into your mouth. You then take a sip of the ice-cold water as you feel the ice through the cup on your fingertips. Larry waves goodbye to you and your friend, for you only see him again later that night at the corn dog stand.
ReplyDeleteCH
Your alarm clock lights up as the volume on the radio ascends simultaneously. The clock flashes 7:05 am. You stare up at the ceiling, listening to the end of the new Keith Urban song playing through the radio. You hear your little sister in the bathroom, brushing her teeth, along with your mom downstairs, making a smoothie out of foods she has labeled ‘healthy’. You scoot towards the window and lift up the curtain, surprised to see another beautiful day for the third day in a row in Houston, Texas. For some reason you do not struggle to wake yourself up, you are eager to head to school, eager to see your friends. This is usually not the case; you usually are resentful, stressed out, tired and upset for some reason. But today is not that day, today you feel content, for what may be the first time in a long time. Today you feel the world wants to be on your team, that things will go your way. You stumble out of bed, listening to your feet crack with each first step. Squinting, you realize your bedroom is a mess: cowboy boots, running shoes, an empty water bottle, and some jewelry all sprawled out sporadically in the bedroom. You take one last glace at the messy bedroom, and head to the bathroom to wash your face. You can barely see your face in the mirror, as the glare is so strong coming from the opposite window.
ReplyDeleteYou have been working on this routine for months. You cant believe you are actually here now. Warm up went well, but your nerves are eating away at your stomach. You walk away from the warmup area and see where you and your team are about to go. There is a huge entry way leading to the competition floor. It was to be at least twenty feet tall and ten feet wide. Inside it is dark but you see flashing lights moving all around the floor. The announcer calls on the next team. Its loud and you hear screams and yells from the team that is performing now. This is their shot, their time to shine. What they have worked hard on for months on end. Just like you and your team. Your team's blood sweat and tears have gone into this effort. You have to perform your best. There is no other option. Its your turn to go. your team lines up outside. Now your stomach is doing flips over and over. You take a deep breath. You are ready. The announcer calls your team and its time to go.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteYour car slowly comes to a stop in the vacant parking lot; “you have reached your destination,” shouts the lady in your father’s phone. You reluctantly slide your weak body out of the vehicle; your delicate eyes are unprepared for the upcoming sight. Your family heads toward the building while you trail behind, trying to mentally prepare yourself. As you open the door to the building, a sudden gust of wind hits you square between the eyes; you are now drenched with the nauseating mixture of death and flowers. Quiet piano music crowds your empty head as you follow the old woman to your aunt’s room. Once at her room, you patiently wait in the narrow hallway for your turn to go inside. You still cannot believe you are there; she was way too young to die. You stand outside with your father and your brother; “give the father and sister a moment,” you are told before proceeding inside. You strive to keep it together, but the wails of your loved ones rip at your heart. It's finally your turn to view the body; you immediately lose it. You try to be strong for your mother and you grandfather, all you can do is hold them in your arms.
ReplyDeleteMZ