Solid Orange

1 2 3 4!
1 2 3 4!

C-L-E-M-S-O-N!

T-I-G-E-R-S!


Fight Tigers!

Fight Tigers!

Fight Fight Fight!

Spaghetti

It's something about
That hot, gooey cheese--
Soft ripened tomatoes
Oozing their delicious sauce,
And slimy noodles...
The heat of the hamburger
Burning my tongue
And the smell of oregano
Tickling my nose.
Just wonderful

Curl Anxiety

Anyone who has taken the road from relaxed hair to natural hair is very familiar with...anxiety? I use the word anxiety because I think for most of us, we never knew what our hair looked like pre-relaxer (Note: if you get lost at any point I suggest taking a look at blog post on my journey; it's more explanatory in terms of the hair journey itself). You either cut all your hair off and wait for it to grow, or watch as it grows above your relaxed hair before chopping off the relaxed ends, all the while you ask yourself, "what is it going to look like!?!"

Hypocrisy

You looked me in the eye,
And lamented me for straightening my hair;
You rattled off history lesson
     after history lesson
          after history lesson
On oppression and assimilation.
Then you died your hair blonde...


You looked me in the eye,
Complained of my attire--
You asserted that I have conformed
     into society's definition of beauty
          into society's standard of femininity
And I should rebel against sexism.
But your face is overdone in makeup...

You looked me in the eye,
Told me I was heathen,
Because I don't frequent a church
     because I ask "the wrong" questions
          because I said the preacher was wrong
And I actually know how history and the Bible relate.
Then you up in the club drunk and twerking...

I look you in the eye,
And say nothing,
Because I don't want to be hypocrite.

Kinetic vs. Potential

I am Hope. Born on a hot, sunny day They took me home And loved me. I was born to dance. I'd sneak away Buy tickets for Broadway shows And study their technique My passion, alive in my feet. A soft calming in my soul... It's my world-- I make the rules. One day... I'll be at Julliard I'll dance on a mahogany stage I'll shine--if only for a moment You'll be proud...

I am Asha. Born on a hot, sunny day... She took me home, And regretted me. Every chance I got-- I'd sneak away Let the music speak to me Forget everything about these streets I was happy here, My passion, alive in my feet And my problems drift away It's not my world-- I don't make the rules. But I make do. One day... I won't be afraid I won't live in fear I'll shine--if only for a moment You'll realize my potential...

Taming the Lion

Wild

Rowdy

Emerging 

Out of control

Free spirited cat

So prone to stubbornness 

Compromising to no one

Beautiful, triumphant, fearless

Sovereign of the jungle fighting

Coexistent battles for victory.

Character Study: General Rollins

This mission hadn't been planned with the luxury of back up plans. If they lost, there was no home to be relegated to. If they died, there were no more people to refill the ranks or be taken into captivity. Three ships were the last hope of everything General Rollins knew.

Thanks to gravity and an inexperienced pilot, one ship--his ship--had already been reduced to a handful of stragglers: an old man, barely able to walk without the assistance of his elaborate cane; the old man's grandson, an assumed delinquent with all the street art of the world tattooed on his body and the last of the precious metals hooked into his face; a preteen girl marked with innocence and marred with bruises and burns; the little girl's older brother, an intimidating young man with a breaking voice; a twenty-something year old supermodel type and the girl she probably tortured in high school; a grieving father; and last but not least, the general's mentally challenged,  twenty-five year old son. That they had survived the night spoke volumes not only to their luck, but to the general's patience as well. As much as he hoped their luck would hold out, Rollins knew that capture was inevitable.

Happy Birthday

Where other people saw fragility,
I saw an invincible force;
Wisdom, ripe with age
For every question, a perfect answer.

You can't take it with you when you go.

Where other people laid down and quit,
You fought on, against the status quo;
Love, stubborn and old fashioned
For every child, unwavering loyalty.

I'm ready! All I gotta do is slip my shoes on.

Where other people swallowed their opinion
I could count on you to be outspoken;
Acceptance, always found
Through every thing, family is still family.

You want something to eat?

Where other people hid from minutes and hours
You strut your independence and health;
Immortal, etched in my memory
For every passing moment, clearly pictured in my mind.

I won't live to see another one...

Where others chose to keep from their thoughts,
I let your words obscure the truth;
Hope, may you live through our presence
Happy Birthday, may you rest in peace.

Imagine

Imagine...
The soft glow of natural light
Was the only glow you ever knew,
That there were no batteries to replace
No cords running across floors
In search of sockets for plugs;
That there were no power lines
Blocking your view of the sky
And at night when the sun went down,
Everything went black.

Imagine...
If every time you were lost in your thoughts,
Your mind started to wander;
There was no Google,
No Twitter, No Facebook,
No blogs to entertain you.
That you had to actually speak to someone
To know that they were alright,
And every time you got behind the wheel
You were completely on your own.

Imagine...
What sights remain to be seen,
Independent thoughts you had the chance to think,
People you took the time to meet--
All the sleep you finally caught up on...
And at night when the sun went down,
The stars came out.

The Rain Dancers

Around and around,
In a circle they dance.
Their soft solitude stirring the air--
The power slowing dripping,
Dripping from the palms of their hands.
Blurred little dancers,
Seemingly, neither here nor there--
A Secret.

The Rain Dancers

Their feet were nearly invisible, moving quickly beneath them and cutting through grass like little knives.  A worn trench had developed to mark their circle, and as the sky rose and fell, the trench began to fill. Shimmering blue water beneath their tiny green legs swished and swirled--kicked upward as though it could return to the sky. I could barely focus on them--beautiful pixies, invisible, magical and fascinating. Teetering between their world and mine, perhaps I was not quite worthy to see...

Introduction

The post from my original blog called "The Challenge" (click here to read) explains my goal/logic/reasoning behind this challenge. Essentially this section of the blog will contain my daily posts. I'm willing to bet that most of the posts will be poems, but every once in a while I'll probably throw in a short story. Hope you enjoy.

Day 1 of the Challenge is August 21, 2013
Stay tuned for more :)

The Challenge

Way back when I was in high school (I'm still in shock that its been 7 years---3 years 'til the reunion -_-) I use to write everyday. I probably averaged about 2-3 poems a day and pages upon pages of short stories. You could not tell my AP English teacher that I was going to go to college, major in math, and not pursue anything writing related. Of course that's exactly what I did, because as much as I love writing, I love certainty more. I can be certain that 1+1 is always 2 (well...that or 10, depends on what you're using it for). I can be certain my answers are right (or wrong), if I take classes like Calculus, Algebra, Computer Science, etc.  I am not certain, however, that anyone (much less multitudes) would read--let alone ♥--my writing.

Fear of Failing

In a way, I guess you could accuse me of being afraid to really fail. Failure right now just means I'd end up being a programmer or a teacher at a junior college/high school. Failure right now could probably still safely get me a decent salary that I could live comfortably on. If I were a writer--strictly a writer--failure would probably make me completely broke and needing to move back home (that pretty much sums up ultimate failure for me).  While I wouldn't describe myself as materialistic, being realistic, I must admit that my current grad life is as close to broke and struggling as I want to get... My biggest problem is that I don't do well writing what others tell me to write and there's no guarantee enough people want to read what I want to write. At the end of the day, though, if you as me that age old question, "what would you do if money didn't matter?" my answer would always be "I would write." So, what now? I like programming, I like writing, but one with out the other for me is like peanut butter with no jelly.

Back to Basics

Well, growing up, I was easily able to juggle writing, school, band (if you're a band geek you know this is the black hole of all time right here), and social life, without trouble. College came and the writing started to take a major backseat--like chillin' in the trunk type of backseat. Now that I'm in college, I don't even know if writing is still in the car with me sometimes. There's this depiction of grad life that you have 3 things in life--school, sleep, and social life--and you can only successfully partake in 2 of these (my current two are school and sleep in case you're wondering). I don't like it. I woke this morning and decided I'm going back to my old model. I'm gonna do my schoolwork (successfully). I'm going to hangout with my friends (occasionally). I'm going to sleep 6-8 hours a day (peacefully). AND I'm gonna write daily. Why? Because I can!

The Challenge

So, I decided to put myself to the challenge to get back on my writing A+ (yeah, you know I had to be obnoxious and add the +) game. The challenge? A poem/reflection/short-story/etc. a day for a year. To help me hold me accountable, I'll post 'em to the blog--the good, the bad, and the ugly (or as I prefer to say, the cute, the pretty and the beautiful). The problem with making random decisions like this is that there is no nice start/end point. Most people decide things like this for a new years resolution. Or as my friend fantasticfo did, at the end of a month so they can start on the 1st of the month. *shakes head* No, of course I have to be different and random. So, my day 1 will be the first day of classes (seems legit enough).

Hope you guys will join me by reading, commenting, liking (or disliking I suppose), critiquing, and supporting :)

#ChallengeMode
Starting August 21, 2013

Beautiful Anger

Dark and menacing--
Looming above the sky's horizon...
I see it
     growing...
          growing...
               growing...
                    Sweeping across the sky.
And the outbursts,
Like miniature stars exploding--
     pulsing,
     flashing,
     sparkling,
Dancing across the sky.
A beautiful show of lights,
Backed by the roar of pain...
     booming,
     bellowing,
     echoing,
Lamenting across the sky.
As the anger turns to pain,
Pain turns to tears--
     weeping...
          weeping...
               weeping...
                    Emptying across the sky.