This is...

This is two childhood friends,
formerly known as best friends,
at a birthday with the theme of Madagascar,
echos of very few children hum in the background,
both wearing Alex the Lion masks,
that reflected the courageousness in their youth

this is bold, bright smiles hidden behind masks,
before the big move, before high school or even middle school,
before puberty and the separation of parents,
before we got lost in our adolescence,
and forgot what it was like to pick up the phone and project,
a hearty 'hello'.

Photos of the Millennium

         This photograph was taken in 2004 during the Orange Revolution. It features a Ukrainian woman putting carnations into the shields of police officers. This photograph is very beautiful to me. It shows that even through all of the chaos that may be going on humans have not lost their humanity. This is not the first time I have seen something like this. I believe a group of individuals in within the United States placed carnations in the shields of policemen at an anti-riot. It is almost like a peace offering, "we are not here to harm you, we hope you are not here to harm us".

The Odd Couple

         The echo of argumentative voices in a lonely penthouse was now replaced with a hushed vibrato from a diner speaker and cold bar stools. The night had vastly grown frigid since the revealing of covert rendezvous. A wed couple focused, unconvincingly, on tattered menus that sat in front of them. Both were cloaked in wealth and were, noticeably, on the wrong side of town. One can only assume the couple had dinner plans at an upscale restaurant and now had no desire to be seen by their peers.
         There had never been a couple that had caught the night shift waiter's eye as much as the couple that currently occupied the bar stools. It was apparent that the two had just endured a lengthy argument, and although their facial expressions and lack of conversation reeked of mistrust, their body language told a different story. The couple sat slightly facing each other, but being cautious of just how far they were turned in. And although their hands never once intertwined, they placed them carefully close to each other as if they were saying their complications were absolved.
         The couple was a reminder that every human being is a balance of chaos and beauty. People become so distracted by wealth and lust, they often lose themselves. They needed love to remind them of who they were. They needed a heart to call home and a warm body with a welcoming smile to tell them they had lost their way. They were never the diamond rings or the slicked hair. They were never the money in their bank accounts or the countless dinner parties. They were the head print in their white pillows, the slow dances while listening to Frank Sinatra, and the love they possessed for each other.
         The scandalous evenings with unnamed vagabonds were no longer a concern, they had slowly gravitated back towards each other. There would no longer be whispered goodnight's met with echos of silence. There would no longer be wine glasses filled with abandonment sitting in separate rooms. The odd couple had found the value of the human heart.
         

Window Poem

A busy road greets me ahead,

a sidewalk and grass, trees and fallen leaves,

today there is a wandering cat,

I always enjoy the small changes

within a routine,

it is morning, the sun has barely begun to show,

the sky is the color of lilac, it is very calming

to observe,

in the distance I can see a large

paved hill,

and dozens of trees casting shadows

over it.

Newspaper Clip

"Don't you know, the dress doesn't make the woman, the woman makes the dress."

         Louis Vuitton, Marc Jacobs, Chanel; just a few of the brands that are well-known to most of the human population. There's no doubt that each brand's clothing is beautiful and can make a statement when walking down any sidewalk (or runway), but is it really worth the cost if you're not purchasing it because you find it tasteful? People get so distracted by the name brand and the people who wear it that they often forget that they need to make the look their own. People will marvel after others, especially models, who rock the look and then quickly plan to imitate the look. So they spend thousands of dollars on the right dress, heels, jewelry, ect. and that's fine, but what happens when you look in the mirror and your reflection is no longer you. I mean, of course it's you, but your outfit, instead of telling your story, it is telling someone else's story. I think if you are truly in love with a piece of clothing or shoes or an accessory from one of the brands I have named, then by all means get it and rock it. But if you are not actually in love with the article of clothing, shoes, and/or accessory then why spend the money? Because if you don't feel like a gem in the outfit, trust me, nobody is going to see you as a gem. This is where 'the woman makes the dress' comes in. We all have that one outfit, expensive or not, that makes us feel confident and beautiful. And when you feel confident in an outfit, it shows. Because the right outfit can give you the right attitude; a little more pep in your step. Suddenly, compliments are flooding out of your peer's mouths. And if you can feel like a gem in what you're wearing, then it doesn't matter if your outfit was 20 dollars or 2,000 dollars. Don't get blindsided by labels.

Favorite Quotes

"Every night, I come to the same place and wait until the sky catches up with my mood." -Joe Dunthorne, Submarine

"...And these children that you spit on as they try to change their worlds are immune to your consultations. They're quite aware of what they're going through..." -David Bowie

"I figured it all to be love, but this isn't lovely." 

-Leaving Tonight, The Neighbourhood 

"We're neither pure; nor wise; nor good; we do the best we know." -Voltaire

"It is only in adventure that people succeed in knowing themselves- in finding themselves."

-Andre Gide

"Relax. You will become an adult. You will figure out your career. You will find someone who loves you. You have a whole lifetime; time takes time." 

-Johanna de Silentio

"This world is not made of shades of grey. It is made of colours like azure and coral and emerald and marigold. But it insists on painting everything in black and white and fitting it into boxes that it understands. Do not do that to yourself. Paint your personality a million different colours. Leave them scratching their heads, unsure of how to handle the magic that you are." -Nikita Gill

"You think it's cool to hate things. And it's not. It's boring. Talk about what you love and keep quiet about what you don't." -Liberal Arts (film)

"Tomorrow we will run faster, stretch out our arms farther... and one fine morning- we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past." -F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby

"I firmly believe in small gestures: pay for their coffee, hold the door for strangers, over tip, smile or try to be kind even when you don't feel like it, pay compliments, chase the kid's runaway ball down the sidewalk and throw it back to him, they to be larger than you are particularly when it's difficult. People do notice, people appreciate. I appreciate when it's done to (for) me. Small gestures can be an effort, or actually go against our grain ("I'm not a big one for paying compliments..."), but the irony is that almost every time you make them, you feel better about yourself. For a moment life suddenly feels lighter, a bit more Gene Kelly dancing in the rain." -Jonathan Carroll

"I behold the beauty but the beauty got a hold on me." -Anna Sun, Walk the Moon

"You never knew the city could create such calm." -Nova Scotia, Magic Man

If I Were in Charge of the World...

If I were in charge of the world

I'd cancel the color red,

George Orwell,

Poverty,

and Donald Trump

If I were in charge of the world

there'd be world peace,

a place for everyone,

and food for those who cannot eat

If I were in charge of the world

you wouldn't have crime

you wouldn't have poisonous spiders

you would't have sea food

or "I'm not mad, I'm disappointed"

you wouldn't even have parents

If I were in charge of the world

a piece of chocolate cheesecake with Oreo crust would be a vegetable

All people would be equal

and a person who sometimes forgot to wash clothes

and a person who sometimes forgot to brush their hair

and sometimes forgot to be somewhere at a certain time

would still be allowed to be in charge of the world.

Blackbird

I know why they took a stand,

I know why they intended to be heard,

I know why they broke, borrowed, and stole their way to the spotlight...

to be the voice for those who lost theirs,

to be the light for those who could not see,

to be the ear for those who would not listen,

they fought for you,

they succeeded for you,

and together you all found your wings.

a/n: Inspired by Blackbird written by The Beatles

Maya Angelou Response Questions

Question: Are you a person that remembers everything or a person who remembers almost nothing? Which is better to be? Which periods of time in your life are the clearest? Which periods of your life are the fuzziest? Do you have a better recall of the times you consider happy or the ones you consider sad or embarrassing or uncomfortable or humorous?

Response: I am an individual with extremely good memory. I find it better to be someone who remembers an abundance of things compared to someone who has a hard time remembering things. Since I am an auditory, written/reading, and visual type of learner it is easy for me to remember parts of conversations, reading/writing material, and lessons. This comes in handy on tests and when information is needed for something important. But it also keeps events in my life very clear. The clearest time in my life at the moment would be from when I was eight through now. This is a time frame where a lot of change has occurred in my life. I have moved to a lot of different places when I am introduced new surroundings it is easier to remember who I was at that time and the new experiences I had. I remember becoming a musician like it was just yesterday and everything that I have done musically is clear in my mind. I think I mostly remember the happy times in my life. But, just like anyone else, sad and embarrassing things can be clearly remembered as well. There are still times when I dwell over the embarrassing things that have happened to me, but that’s because people, most of the time, are not constantly embarrassed so it is easy to remember those kinds of things.

Question: Angelou quotes Nathaniel West as saying, “easy reading is just damned hard writing” and says writing is “just hard work, you know?” Do you agree with this? What is easiest or hardest to you about writing? Is writing hard work?

Response: I completely agree with Maya Angelou and Nathaniel West. Being a writer and creating pieces that attract readers is very hard. I tend to find myself over editing, then re-writing, then deleting my work several times in a row. The hardest thing about writing is having complete thoughts and planning far enough ahead so I don’t find myself lost at the end of each sentence. Another very hard thing for me is being able to be satisfied with my writing. I get very picky because I want to focus on the big idea, but I can’t focus until my writing is perfect. I want everything perfectly written and it to flow nicely and sound sophisticated and mature. And I know that it is almost impossible to create a perfect writing piece, but that doesn’t seem to stop me from trying. I also know that my writing will mature with age and as I continue to write, but I think my mind would rather ignore that fact and try to sound wise beyond its years. I have so much respect and appreciation for writers like Maya Angelou who can write so honestly and beautifully.

Ballet Slippers

'keep your hair in a bun, you must have fun,

up on your toes, perfectly ironed clothes, 

slippers must always be laced, keep a smile on your face'

but one day her hair fell from the bun,

a wrinkle formed in her clothes,

the slippers were forever unlaced 

and she wore a frown on her face,

old age came too fast.

Butterscotch

I remember the bowl that sat by the chair, 

an abundance of candy meant to be shared,

Reeses that melt in your mouth,

Hershey's chocolates begging to be eaten,

but if you see the amber wrapper beware,

butterscotch candy is found in there,

grandmother said they taste of gold and honeycombs,

maybe she is right but I'd rather steer clear.

Parades

Midsummer parades,

Involving clouds of grey,

Nine large floats make their way down the road,

Introducing themselves with a loud 'hey',

Various bands march and play,

In the crowd children shout 'hooray',

Old couples try to seize the day,

Large amounts of candy are thrown the crowd's way,

Everyone cheers as the last float says, 'have a nice day',

Ten people beg the floats to stay.