Shooting into the sky
Like a beacon of hope
Shining in the light
Leaves rustling
Branches swaying
Roots growing
Growing
Growing
Growing
The forest softly sings
Its never ending lullaby
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Crashing against the golden field
The sound of an army
Marching
Rolling in
Creeping up
Silent but deadly
Soft, gentle
Vicious, torturous
Reaching up to meet my toes
But we never touch
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Get the Ball
Seeping,Slipping,
D
r
i
p
p
i
n
g
Down my
RED
face
Breathing
Hoarse and
heavy
Feet aching
Mind racing
Thinking,
“get the ball.”
“gET the baLL.”
“GET the BALL.”
Never ending,
Never resting,
Never
not
fighting
For the
ball.
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Manchester Attacks
My heart is heavy with the news of the recent terror attacks in Manchester. I almost can’t bear to look at my Twitter feed. But I do. In today’s world we are drawn to whomever is spitting out facts and statistics. We are moths to news’s flame. We should know, must know the absolute truth.
I can’t decide what is true and what is false. I can’t figure out what is right and wrong. I have a few things that I do know. I know that in times like these we must urge people to send positive thoughts toward the people of Manchester. We must unite together and show love and support for those involved in the attacks.
And we must also use logic and reason. We cannot jump to conclusions nor point the finger of blame. We must stay calm and stay strong, because terrorism is a serious issue that cannot be tamed with anger or hate or bias.
Music is one of the most beautiful works of art in the world. For many people, music is a safe place. Music is a world away from the one we inhabit. Music is peace and serenity. It is heartbreaking that such a hateful crime was committed in a place of love and joy and peace.
My heart goes out to anyone and everyone affected by these attacks. While Manchester may be an ocean away from us, to me the victims of this attack are all too close. This could have been a Taylor Swift concert. This could have been the Taylor Swift concert I attended last year, in the capital of our nation. These teenagers that have lost their lives could have been my schoolmates. These parents searching desperately for their children could have been my mother and father.
Today we are all from Manchester. Today we must realize that flags and anthems do not define us. What defines us instead is the air we breathe and the planet we live on.
And that is all the same. Because we are all human.
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Dress Code
Yesterday, at a local school that my friend attends, she and her fellow eighth graders received a speech about the dress code. The entire eighth grade was informed that if a girl’s bra strap is showing it is distracting to her male peers. One administrator even said that if a boy touches a girl inappropriately, it’s because she “gave him a pass” to touch her by dressing that way.
I was appalled and shocked and furious. This was a lie and a perpetration of rape culture at the middle school level. Dress codes are already inherently sexist, but this enforcement crosses a line. Not only did the administration blame young girls for their own sexual harassment, but they gave young boys an excuse to sexually harass.
So I stood up. I fought back for my fellow eighth grade girls who were being demoted and humiliated by this treatment. I wrote an email to the principals at that school and demanded they retract the statements. I resisted. I got in the way.
Dress coding is still one of youth culture’s greatest debates. I believe that dress codes are written to prevent women from being distracting to others. The dress code on men is set to keep men presentable, not to keep them from distracting their female counterparts. I hope that I and others will continue to fight not only sexist dress codes, but sexist political leaders and legistlation.
In this day and age we have to band together to resist sexism in all its forms, no matter how out of our way we must go to fight back.
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Hidden Sorrow
Broken hearted
Eyes watering
She smiles
Covering up
Putting on a mask
But deep inside
She hopes that someone
Anyone
Asks about her tears
But no one ever does
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Writing Every Day
Okay, so I’m just going to come out and say it. The whole “write every day for a year” thing didn’t work out. Yeah, I know, big surprise.
Some of you are probably disappointed. I am too. I really thought I could do it. But every once in a while I said “Well, I can skip one day.” And one day turned into two. And now here I am, realizing I haven’t written in almost a week.
But I want to keep going. This time however, I won’t have the pressure. I’m not trying to write every day for a year, I’m just trying to write. I’m just trying to be a writer.
I have a lot going on in my life right now. Obviously, I want writing to be part of my life. But writing every single day is just too much. So someday, maybe I will realize that I have written every day for a long time. Someday maybe it will be my career, someday I may get paid to write every day.
But for now I’m going to focus on everything else going on around me, and make time for writing whenever I can. And if I don’t write one day, it’s not the end of the world.
Because let’s be honest. I didn’t even last a month.
Today President Trump signed legislation that will allow states to defund abortion providers. He has allowed states to cut federal funding to places like Planned Parenthood. This legislation was signed without debate. This legislation was signed behind closed doors, with no cameras.
Many people don’t understand the term “Pro-Choice.” I want to assure everyone that Pro-Choice does not mean Pro-Abortion. Someone who is Pro-Choice is someone who believes the government has no right to tell women what they can and can’t do with their bodies. As the saying goes, “My body, my choice.”
The legislation signed today will go under the radar and behind the scenes. Nevertheless, this legislation will make healthcare for women, especially women of poverty, less safe. It will defund programs that help all women be safer, smarter, and more secure. President Trump has tried to let this groundbreaking bill go quietly. But we will stand up. We will not let something this loud go this quietly. The closed doors of the White House cannot keep out a revolution.
As of a few days ago, you may have seen the viral video of a man being forcibly removed from a United airline flight. The flight was overbooked and the crew removed passengers at random. When one man refused, the United security guard forced the man out of his set. The passenger’s head was hit against a metal armrest and his practically unconscious body was dragged down the aisle. This horrible scene has outraged people all over the country.
We live in a world of violence. There is war, crime, bullying, abuse, rape, torture, murder, and so much more. Sometimes it is too much to handle. Sometimes I get overwhelmed thinking about all the violence in the world.
Everyone else must feel this way at some point, right? But for some people it is worse. Some people have been unknowingly corrupted by this world of violence. So now, violence is normal. It’s not unique, it’s not uncommon.
Situations like this take place every day. A person will stand up and their actions will be met with violence. Yet they still stand up. The important thing, the most important thing is to keep standing up. As much as the violence overwhelms me, I’m going to try and see the positive things in the world. I’m going to try to fight on. I’m going to keep standing up.
Up on a cloud
In an alternate universe
Locked in a fantasy
Reality is impossible
Reality is inevitable
Dreaming of something
That will never be