Mississippi School of the Arts
the fire burns hot
flames reaching towards the sky
we sit just close enough to feel its glory
music booms from the speakers on the back deck
we sing along and dance
fading into the night
blending into the roaring flames
your arms are wrapped tightly around me
my hands cover yours
i look to you
you grin, crooked teeth showing proudly
“i live for nights like these.” you say
i smile and turn away
staring into the heat
“i only live in nights like these.”
and the whole world is still
Over the summer, I was given the task of writing an essay based on someone who has positively influenced my life. Please read the essay and tell me what you think.
The person who has held the most positive impact on me is Phylicia Harington. She has played a very important role in the upbringing of me. Since 2013, the lessons she has taught me have inspired me to become a better me, every day. For this, I am forever grateful. The three lessons she has taught me area: to be comfortable in my own skin, to give respect in order to get it, and to always make the right decisions for me! Over the years, these lessons have helped me to become a strong and independent young man.
The first lesson is, “You are who you are. There is nothing I, you, or anyone else can do about it. Live baby.” When she spoke these words to me, my thirteen-year-old mind could not fully develop that statement. Lost for words, I asked myself, “How do you feel?” The only thought I had was that this teacher genially cared. She made it crystal clear that accepting who/what we are is the first step of living a happy life.
The second lesson was, “If you want people to respect you, you need to respect them.” She had noticed a change in my behavior as the year progressed, so she spoke these words to me. She went on to say that I would never be satisfied with anyone’s attitude towards me if I always had an attitude. She then told me that it was time I take responsibility fot my actions. I t is not always someone else’s fault as to why I am not having the best day. Although I did not want to heart it, it was the truth. Now, I can honestly say I try not to put the blame on anyone else for my behavior.
The third and final lesson was, “You only live once. Make decisions that are right for you. People will try to get you to do something stupid, but you are not the only one dealing with the consequences. Do understand though, you will make a lot of wrong decisions. Just do not make the same mistake over and over again.” I can honestly say that this has been the biggest fight, for me. I am still working on this, and she spoke these words five years ago. I had to learn that decisions not only affect now, but the near and far future too. It is up to me whether I make good or bad decisions. All I can really say is decisions, decisions.
In conclusion, Ms. Harrington has helped me build my confidence, learn the values of respect, and the importance of decision making. Allowing Ms. Harrington to enter my life was truly one of the best decisions I have ever made. I would not take it back, for anything in the world. Because of these lessons, I live by this quote: “I can, and I will!”
I’m going to take a break from my fall appreciation type posts for this week because it starting to wind down. In just 3.4 weeks, it will be winter (December 21), meaning we have 24 days left in fall. So for now, I’m going to post this really short poem that I wrote for… someone. I might expand on it more and probably take inspiration from our many strange conversations that I just love. Without further ado, here is “You!”
You
I wonder if you know just how much you affect me. Just about every second of my day is centered around you. “What are you doing?” “Are you okay?” “I hope you’ll text me soon.”
You drive me nuts in the most amazing way possible, and it’s because I love you. All I ever want is to be wrapped in your arms. I want to feel your breath on my skin, Your lips on my neck. I want you by my side and I need you there now.
I wonder if you know just what you’re doing to me.
But even if you do know, I still like it.
It’s not my greatest work, but it came from my heart, so it’s okay! Now that it’s out there, next week will be our regularly scheduled program of fall appreciation posts! As a little hint for what it may be about, here’s a special picture I took.
I fully understand this title is vague, but oh my goodness I’m getting to my limit.
Okay, so, I’m vegetarian right? Been going strong for two years now, and It’s been pretty smooth sailing. Besides the rogue bit of bacon in my french fries, and the small fish patty I thought was tofu, I haven’t broken. I think I’m doing pretty well. Other people however, have different opinions.
I would be filthy rich, like buying a mansion with a water park rich, if I had a dollar for every time someone has said “you’re a vegetarian who doesn’t eat vegetables.”
I’ve been a picky eater from the get-go, and my habits have gotten wayyyy less severe not only since getting older, but since becoming vegetarian. My family however, still sees me as that five year old who refuses to eat anything but mac n’ cheese and chicken nuggets. It is true that I honestly would choose pasta and soy nuggets over salads, but I don’t hate all healthy foods. I could eat roasted asparagus and carrots all day a long. Mushrooms? Y u m. But nah, I’m still a grubby-handed child that only reached for anything carb heavy.
What I think my family fails to realize, is that I’m healthy. I think. I definitely could afford to put down the cookie once in a while, I’m overall in a good place. My weight is healthy for my height, I’m relatively active, and I try to choose healthier options when I can. I hate that my family still sees me as a child. I am the youngest in my family (the person closest to my age being my brother, who is still six years older than me), so possibly this is why I get the bad rep?
It sucks though, because I feel as if I’m being held back. I want to be Vegan so badly. I try and I fail, but I’m still holding on to the hope that one day I can stick to it. Anyways, I’m scared that once I do, I’ll be ridiculed by my family for yet another diet change that I’m not “worthy” of. Because after all, how can I be a healthy vegan? I just hate that misconception. Just because you don’t consume meat and dairy, that doesn’t mean you can’t get proper nutrition and vitamins through other means, while still being healthy.
I’m just trying to make a lil’ announcement. For one of the first times in my life, I’m healthy. I’m not struggling anymore with eating too much or too little and I’m eating foods that energize me, and let me live a balanced life. So family, when I come home or to visit, please refrain from telling me specifically to cut down on carbs and sugars. You don’t have any clue how damaging is. Anyone for that matter. I know you mean well, but it can really hurt a person.
Just be happy that I’m healthy and wanting to visit you, because I truly do love my family.
“Road work ahead,
I sure hope it does.”
This quote is especially inspiring to me, as it gives my hope that our roads will be safe, and lets us continue to have easy travels. While the “road work ahead” sign does not actually mean that the road works, this phrase brings a whole new meaning to it.
” you better watch out
you better watch out
You better watch out
You better watch out”
This brings me great self awareness to my safety, well being, and surroundings. By watching out, I am not only saving myself from the harsh, cruel dangers of this vast planet, I am saving others.
“Get to
Del Taco
they got a new thing called
freesha,
Freshavacado”
A quote such as this brings me great awareness to my health and dietary choices. It reminds me to eat, and to make choices which will lead me to a long and healthy life.
“Can i get a
waffle
can i please get a
Waffle“
While making healthy choices, it is also important to give yourself relief. Self care is important, and sometimes self care can be getting a waffle.
“ Ah!
stop!
I coulda dropped my,
Croissant “
Sometimes in life, we all drop our croissants. We fall, but we catch ourselves. There is struggle, and it can be brought on by others. However, we save ourselves. We face death, and deal with it.
As you can see, these quotes all bring something special to the table. They all involve new ways to take on life, and ways in which you view the world. One mans stop, may be another’s start. our path may be long and dreary, but the road will always work ahead. We can sure hope it does. We must care for ourselves, for others. Our live choices can affect us forever. This means eating healthy, being in a good state of mind, and overall living positively.
These short, yet sweet quotes provide us with a sense of relief in multiple ways. They are humorous yet calming. The short, to the point phrases are memorable, and drill into our heads, leaving us with a long lasting memory of it, and coming into our lives through common speech and through seeing common items that remind us of the long-past words. Their wisdom carries on.
What is your favorite quote? why does it inspire you? What meanings does it bring into your life?
He kisses me in the front seat of his 2002 Mustang, doors wide open, cold air blowing into the space between us. The lamp post above us flickers, and for a split second, it feels like we are slipping into the sky and becoming one with the universe. His calloused fingers slide against my cheek, and my body leans farther over the console. My arm slips, bringing us back to Earth in a fit of dazed laughter. I can hear the television inside my house, the frogs and crickets gathering around the pond for their midnight battle, and his breathing. I can never figure out why I am so entranced by his breathing. Perhaps it’s because it tells me exactly what he is feeling, or maybe it’s just the certainty it gives me that he is alive and real. It makes me feel safe, almost as if his lungs were my home.
For a while, we watch our words float in the air like smoke, every senseless syllable freezing in time. We discuss the possibilities, and the dream of escaping this old, sleepy town. We laugh about our friends who will never understand what it’s like to have the world under their feet and on their shoulders at the same time. I’m sure that if the doors were shut, we would drown ourselves in wonder and hope. Instead, we unleash all our wishes to the world and pray we will come across them again one day.
We lock eyes, smiles stretching across our faces. He motions me out the car, and he steps out as well. I look up at the dancing stars, and their light seeps into my flesh despite being lightyears away. His hand glides onto my side, turning me to face him, and he pulls me in. I wrap my arms around the back of his neck. His close around my waist, and we sway to the silent love song that is our breaths. We twirl to the battle cries of insects and amphibians. We kiss to faint static, electricity exploding in our cores. In this very moment, we forget about dreams, hopes, wishes, and wonders. There is no longer a past to run from, or a future to run to. There is only us, standing on the edge of the universe, all its energy radiating in our souls. At this moment, we cease to be trivial specks in the world. No, for a frozen glimpse in time we are the world.
All I saw leave your deep, red lips was smoke,
and the ash of an ending cigarette atop fallen leaves.
The distant whispers of fluttering butterflies,
and your sharp eyes the color of the near mountains.
We spent our days laying in tall grass,
with memories of our separate summers.
How we longed for another day of summer.
Filled with swimming pools and blazing fire smoke.
No blankets needed to lay in the grass.
The only thing coating the trees were bright leaves.
The ant hills looked more like mountains.
We could chase the butterflies.
Never would we catch those swift butterflies.
Always resting in the dead of summer.
Alongside blue peaks of forgotten mountains.
Hiding from our mothers just to have one smoke.
Throwing leftover butts underneath dead leaves,
that danced in the skinny, emerald grass.
Sleeping was no chore to us and the grass,
as long as we didn’t wake our beloved butterflies.
Make sure you’re careful to not step on the leaves.
This was how we spent our short summer.
Smothering our lungs with cancerous smoke,
staring into the tips of the marvelous mountains.
Creating shapes of the glowing mountains.
Listening to nothing but indie and bluegrass.
Making Os and fogg with our smoke
Telling secrets to the nosy butterflies.
Hoping our love would exceed the nights of summer.
That it was heavier than what this memory leaves.
Breaking from the branches the leaves.
Screaming at the scrapping mountains.
Crying for the sake of our ending summer.
Burying our muddy toes in the soft grass.
Having relations with the busy butterflies.
Sharing one another’s cigarette smoke.
Even still, I can smell your deadly smoke.
I can picture the longing butterflies.
I can still see you lying in that summer grass.
I’ve decided to start my own mini series of blogs devoted to villains I come across in the media that are very well written and are more than just your run-of-the-mill “evil antagonist.” To kick the series off, I want to look at a villain that I have mentioned in my blog on Night Vale: Kevin.
Kevin (no last name given) is a character in the Welcome to Night Vale podcast. Because we can only ever hear his voice, there is no canon appearance for Kevin. He is only said to have “black eyes and an unsettling smile.” Most people in the fandom have agreed that this is what Kevin looks like:
As I mentioned in my Night Vale post, Desert Bluffs is the counterpart town to Night Vale, but the main difference is that Bluffs has been taken over by an evil corporation called Strex Corp that has turned the residents of Night Vale into violent employees that are always smiling and spreading the word about the corporation and the “smiling god” the company is ruled by.
When we first are inroduced to Kevin, it is during a sandstorm that opened portals that made a direct link between Night Vale and Desert Bluffs, allowing the residents of the town to go through and meet their doubles.
Cecil goes through the portal and comes back, telling us in a panicked voice that he encountered his double, who tried to strangle him. But when we are told the story again from Kevin, we are given a much different description on the encounter: he tells us in a calm voice that he gave Cecil a hug.
Now, this immediately begins to raise questions on who is telling the truth. Our immediate reaction is to trust Cecil, since he has been around the longest and we trust him more, and since we know that Desert Bluffs is home to violent people, we can safely assume that the “hug” Kevin referenced was, in fact, a hug around the neck.
Later in the series, Strex comes to Night Vale and begins to buy out all of the businesses in the town. Kevin takes over Cecil’s job as the Night Vale radio host. Thankfully, Cecil is successful in leading a revolution against Kevin and those loyal to Strex, sending them back to their horror-filled town.
We also find out in this episode that Kevin was once like Cecil. He was againt the ways of Strex Corp, and he was opposed to their violent ways. But, when they came after his radio station, unlike Cecil, Kevin was unsuccessful in his rebellion. He was brainwashed by Strex, turning him into the person we know him as now.
This gives us insight into Kevin’s character: he really wanted to do the right thing, and tried his best to fight for his beliefs. Unfortunately, he was not successful, thus turning him into a violent person who is forced to smile all the time.
In another episode, we are able to listen to Cecil talk to a Kevin from the future. He tells Cecil that he was truly sorry that he wasn’t able to keep Strex from taking over the Bluffs, and wished that Cecil could have known him before he had been brainwashed.
This gives us yet another insight to Kevin’s character: he is still aware that what he is doing is wrong, but because he is under the thumb of Strex, there is nothing he can do about it.
When I first listened to this episode, I felt sorry for Kevin. He never wanted to be a part of Strex, but he was forced into it against his will. Even though his actions are terrible, they are now beyond his control, and even though he desperately wants to, he is physically unable to do the right thing. He only wishes to be out from the under the thumb of Strex, yet he is never able to be truly free.
they’re a façade,
continuously going through the motions of being that trophy family.
when family is over,
the gears shift and the smiles appear and their mechanical voices drone “i love you.”
prized husband wraps his arms around trophy wife,
he lies through his teeth to those around him.
“i’d give her the universe.”
the gears turn again and she smiles blankly.
everyone smiles.
scholar son is going to Harvard, as it should be.
his record’s clean, unlike his cousin’s,
whose record is filled with arrests for vandalism and his grades aren’t high.
he’s been in the hospital one too many times.
“i wish failure was like scholar son.”
scholar son only laughs and says there’s no way.
the gears shift and his charm increases;
everyone drools over scholar son, they want him as their own.
beauty queen daughter steps down the stairs grabbing everyone’s attention.
she’s the envy of all women for her programming is flawless to them.
less fortunate flood her presence and admiration seeps from their sockets.
a mechanical smile etches it’s way to her carefully structured face,
programming says to muse them.
“no one’s perfect, but everyone’s beautiful in the inside.”
false hope she pours into their souls.
beauty queen daughter has big bank from modeling gigs.
the gears turn and she looks down on inferiors.
the gathering leaves and the programs stay for late dinner.
vanity and superiority is served on a platter;
they leave.
the programming shuts down.
trophy wife is in the living room, killing her lungs with cancer sticks and self deprecation.
how much do face lifts cost? how much do tummy tucks cost? how much does his presence cost?
prized husband is sipping a beer miles away with the 12th woman this week.
“you’re the only woman i love.”
that’s the phrase that gets her love to flare his internal desires.
scholar son is in an alleyway, filling his lungs with hypocrisy.
ignores the calls from the girl who cares for the being that looks just like him who’ll never know his face or touch.
he hopes his cousin is better.
beauty queen daughter is posing as cake face on the corner of the street.
arms are out and exposed so the hungry can help add to the mini needle holes that blanket her arms.
no worry to her, the modeling agency taught her what brands conceal the marks perfectly.
in the morning, they’ll all return to their mechanical home,
rebooting and recharging until they’re ready to open their doors.
because everyone wants to be inside mechanical homes.
Well, my favorite month is over now, but I’m still in the fall mood. Though, I type this while currently wearing a Christmas sweater… But that means nothing. There’s now a bite in the air that was previously missed in October, and now it’s November, so you know what that means!
Gobble gobbling, turkey-eating, belly-stuffing, kitchen destroying, Thanksgiving! Honestly, the only way for me to get into the spirit of Thanksgiving is by watching a bunch of cooking videos. Now, Chloe has seen my habit: watching cooking videos while I’m hungry. I don’t know why I do it, but I enjoy seeing the creations, so I guess it’s like I’m mentally feeding myself? I’m not exactly sure why I do it. However, not all of them are Thanksgiving “themed”. Most of them have been from other cultures like Vietnamese, Chinese, Japanese, French, British — just to name a few. I like watching all these videos because it gives me an idea of what I’d like to make one day. Most likely, my family wouldn’t eat it, but my best friend and I would have a blast making it! I’ve made crepes for Mother’s Day one year, and my family loved them then. Even my picky little brother enjoyed them. My sister… she’s another story. My dad liked them as well, though through the process, he was nagging me. But that’s what he usually does.
Anyways, Thanksgiving. So I have this app called “Tasty”. Tasty is basically a YouTube channel that started their own app that shows all their videos they’ve made. They have this thing called “Tasty-est Thanksgiving” which is just a collection of recipes and hacks for Thanksgiving. I think I’ve watched almost all of them, but mostly the ones that I would consider making.
We don’t have many traditional Thanksgiving traditions (like breaking the wishbone from the turkey) in my family, but we do usually congregate at someone’s house. That’s usually my grandma’s house, but sometimes we’ll have family come over to our house. We also have themes, sort of, of what kind of food we’ll make. One year, we did more cookout/Cajun foods, and another, we did finger foods, so stuffing was not on the menu that year. I wonder if we’ll have a theme this year because I haven’t heard anything from my parents yet. I just know that my dad wants to fry a turkey. I swear, he always wants to fry a turkey. But I think I have a few ideas of what I’d like to make. Now, if I actually get to make something is a matter of finances.