Hey everybody, I was surfing the web yesterday and I found this site:
http://www.inbflat.net/
It's 20 YouTube Videos. You can start them at any time, in any order, and it will always sound like a song.
I don't know how it works, but it's really quite amazing.
Wednesday, December 23, 2009
Monday, December 21, 2009
A Poem by James
As the Shadow Passes
Over the land, the clouds pass into an infinite sea of darkness that casts a long shadow upon the land
This sparks a war upon the clouds and thunder crashes into the earth like rain
In time, tears of glass begin to fall as innocent and sound pieces of nature that will harm no one
Upon the ground they shatter and break into small mirrors of the world around
They come together again underneath the shadow of the smoke above
The grass sways to the winds, ever whistling through the cold air that freezes the hearts of others
The symphony of the wind and the sweet melody of rain ring out through the land
The Shadow darkens the world and freezes it in a time of misunderstood perfection
It makes the world seem so alive, reaching to the heavens and singing with the wind
The trees join in harmony and the music carries to the farthest parts of one’s heart
Pulling at them to join in with the splendor of this symphony around them
The smoke pushes against each other and a loud cry goes out
It rings in the many pieces of glass and in the harmonic parts of the trees
Suddenly, the music stops and a ray of light pierces the Shadow and glistens in the dark world
It brightens the grass and it seems to have been born again with anew rich and lustrous color
It perfects itself in this light until this light spreads farther out out, putting the spotlight on the world
It finally makes its way through the long and treacherous tunnel of darkness and shadow
The land is no longer in a dark world, but in a new one
The world has been born again with the perfection of innocence and is teeming with new life
A beautiful light shines out with many colors, applauding my favorite symphony:
As the Shadow Passes
Saturday, December 12, 2009
Book Review: Gone
So, I'd like to introduce Cassie, who will be reviewing books for us as well. Unfortunately we don't want others to send in book reviews, so it will just be me, JP, and Cassie.
Title- Gone
Author- Michael Grant
Rating- 9 out of 10 stars, or 4.5 out of 5, if you're using the 5 star system.
There are no "spoilers", per say, but character profiles and enough information so the reader gets the gist of things.
Gone, a novel by Michael Grant, is about fourteen year old Sam, who lives in the small town of Perdido Beach, California. He enjoys surfing, and is unexceptional in pretty much every way. One day, out of nowhere, everyone 15 and older disappears. This seems exciting at first, with the kids doing whatever they want, eating whatever they want, and living wherever they want. But what about the children? The babies? The story continues with some kids developing strange, unexplainabe powers, like the power to blast fire from one's hands. Chaos ensues, with Sam in the middle. Conflicts arise when Sam realizes there is no way out of the FAYZ (the term used to describe the area where all adults disappear) and they begin to run out of supplies. Then the Coates Academy (a private school across town) students come, and try to take over running the FAYZ, led by Cain, the intelligent, good looking fourteen year old with twisted plans for domination. The rest of the story unfolds with surprise after twist after "Whoa, did that just happen?!" moments, leaving the reader eager for the sequel, Hunger.
I can honestly say that Gone is one of the most though provoking and intense novels I have had the pleasure to read. Grant has set up the perfect dystopian society reminiscent of Lord of the Flies; children forced together for survival. The reader is hit with topics of good versus evil, power and the responsibility that comes with it, and the importance of leadership. As an avid reader of science fiction, I found Grant's style rich in detail while still letting the imagination stretch to it's limits. The graphic and often violent storyline is thankfully broken up by cal, slower moments, although these are few and far between, and don't even exist toward the end of the novel.
Grant paints a picture of humanity at it's best and worst, and many times the unthinkable. The goodness of the main characters is shadowed by the cruelty of the antagonists. Kindness is flooded with brutality. Charcters are forced to make life-altering choices and decide for themselves if they will do what is right or what is easy. Gone will keep you up at night, contemplating the nature of humanity. It will thrust your mind into a whirlwind of emotions, from sympathy to love to hatred to betrayal. And whether you like the book or not (and I can almost guarantee you will), it will make you look at human nature in a different light. That, to me, is one of the greatest things an author can accomplish, and Michael Grant did just that.
Title- Gone
Author- Michael Grant
Rating- 9 out of 10 stars, or 4.5 out of 5, if you're using the 5 star system.
There are no "spoilers", per say, but character profiles and enough information so the reader gets the gist of things.
Gone, a novel by Michael Grant, is about fourteen year old Sam, who lives in the small town of Perdido Beach, California. He enjoys surfing, and is unexceptional in pretty much every way. One day, out of nowhere, everyone 15 and older disappears. This seems exciting at first, with the kids doing whatever they want, eating whatever they want, and living wherever they want. But what about the children? The babies? The story continues with some kids developing strange, unexplainabe powers, like the power to blast fire from one's hands. Chaos ensues, with Sam in the middle. Conflicts arise when Sam realizes there is no way out of the FAYZ (the term used to describe the area where all adults disappear) and they begin to run out of supplies. Then the Coates Academy (a private school across town) students come, and try to take over running the FAYZ, led by Cain, the intelligent, good looking fourteen year old with twisted plans for domination. The rest of the story unfolds with surprise after twist after "Whoa, did that just happen?!" moments, leaving the reader eager for the sequel, Hunger.
I can honestly say that Gone is one of the most though provoking and intense novels I have had the pleasure to read. Grant has set up the perfect dystopian society reminiscent of Lord of the Flies; children forced together for survival. The reader is hit with topics of good versus evil, power and the responsibility that comes with it, and the importance of leadership. As an avid reader of science fiction, I found Grant's style rich in detail while still letting the imagination stretch to it's limits. The graphic and often violent storyline is thankfully broken up by cal, slower moments, although these are few and far between, and don't even exist toward the end of the novel.
Grant paints a picture of humanity at it's best and worst, and many times the unthinkable. The goodness of the main characters is shadowed by the cruelty of the antagonists. Kindness is flooded with brutality. Charcters are forced to make life-altering choices and decide for themselves if they will do what is right or what is easy. Gone will keep you up at night, contemplating the nature of humanity. It will thrust your mind into a whirlwind of emotions, from sympathy to love to hatred to betrayal. And whether you like the book or not (and I can almost guarantee you will), it will make you look at human nature in a different light. That, to me, is one of the greatest things an author can accomplish, and Michael Grant did just that.
Friday, December 11, 2009
Broken by David
Just some quick info about this story before-hand. I based this off of the the song "Broken" by Lifehouse. Originally it started out as an idea for a music video for the song, so I started writing it down and this is what it turned into.
He lay on his bed, not able to sleep. He had gone one to bed at 10:00 last night, but now it was 3:00 in the morning. He had tried reading and listening to music, but nothing could get his mind off of her. It had only been a few days since she left him, and he didn’t think he would be able to get over it.
He didn’t want to be this emotional about it, he thought only girls cried when this kind of thing happened to them, but he couldn’t get over her. The way her dark brown hair shimmered in the sunlight. The way her eyes, the color of the ocean, captivated him every time he stared into them. He had loved her in a way he had loved no one else, but for some reason she had left him. She didn’t even say goodbye, “But neither have you,” he thought.
He blamed it on himself for her leaving, but couldn’t figure out why. The fight wasn’t her fault, and nobody could have predicted her leaving right after that. They had had good times, many, many good times before them. So why should one fight separate them like this?
He remembered when he asked her out on a first date. He remembered all the dates. All the good times they had together. Now the memories came to him in a wave of thought.
He thought of how afraid he had been to ask her out. He had walked up to her awkwardly; they had met in high school, senior year. It was the last nine weeks of school when he finally mustered up the strength to ask her on a date.
As he walked up to her his tongue seemed to swell to twice its size. As he got closer to her he forgot what he was going to say. He had planned his words yesterday, but didn’t get to see her. His chance had come and he couldn’t let it fly away from him. He reached her desk and put one hand in his pocket and the other on his desk.
“Hey Melissa,” he said, lamely.
“Hey Mark,” she responded uncomfortably.
“I was thinking...maybe you wanted to see a movie or something this weekend?”
“Umm...I guess I don’t have plans this weekend, why not?”
So that weekend they had gone to the movies together. What movie Mark could not remember, but he did remember how good she had looked. She had curled her hair, and wore a green blouse and jeans. She was wearing make-up, but not too much. Just enough to cover her blemishes. He wouldn’t have cared anyway, who didn’t have some imperfection?
After the movie he drove her home. He walked her up to the door, and before she went in she said, “That was really fun. We should do it again sometime.” He nodded back in agreement. It wasn’t a kiss, but it felt like one to his mind. She actually liked him! He didn’t think it would have worked out that way.
The memory brought a small smile to his face that faded almost instantly. If she liked him so much, and he liked her back, why did he let her leave? He should have talked to her. Tell her everything was going to be alright. Let her know that it wouldn’t happen again. But he didn’t. He was too angry to say anything after the fight.
Another memory came to his mind and rested there. Their first kiss. Where had it been? It was at the carnival, on the Ferris Wheel. The ecstasy of the moment came back to him. The pure joy and shock as her lips touched his.
She had called him earlier that day.
“Hello,” he answered.
“Hey, it’s Melissa.”
“Oh, hi.”
“Hey do you wanna go to the carnival? It’s the last day it’s in town, and I still haven’t gone.”
“Uh...sure, what time should I pick you up?”
“Five-ish I think. It closes at ten, and I’m only a few minutes away from it.”
“O.K. see ya then!”
“Bye!”
So he had gotten ready. By the time he had taken a shower, ate, and brushed his teeth it was four-thirty. He had to go, or he would be late. He said bye to his mom, who was reading the paper in the living room, and left the house.
He got to Melissa’s house at five o’clock exactly. He was starting to open his door, to get her when she came running out of her house. As she opened the door he heard her say bye to somebody, and she ran to his car.
“Hey, what’s up?”
“Not much, just going to the carnival want to come along?”
She giggled, and responded, “Why not? I mean I was headed toward your car anyway.”
He smiled and opened the passenger door for her. He got in himself then drove to the carnival, following her directions.
He paid for the tickets. She was going to stop him, but it was too late. She took the ticket trying to tell him that she would pay him back, but he wouldn’t allow it.
“That’s what I do; I pay for my girlfriend to go places.”
“Fine, but I’m paying for food if we get anything.”
It was nine-thirty when he got in line for the Ferris Wheel, she had gone to get cotton candy. She came back with a cone of blue fluff.
“Are you alright with blue? I know there’s really no difference in flavor, but I like the blue better.”
“Yeah it’s fine.”
By now they were in the front of the line. They got on the ride, and a man strapped them in. Luckily for them they were the last ones to get on. The wheel spun at a speed where you could feel a soft breeze, but not fast enough to make you sick. After a couple minutes the wheel stopped its cycle. Melissa and Mark were on the very top. They were directly facing the full moon. He put his arm around her shoulders.
“It’s so pretty up here isn’t it?” she asked.
“Yeah,” he responded, he leaned closer to her. Their heads were almost touching.
Time seemed to move slowly as she turned to face him. She wrapped her arms around his body and leaned closer to him. Then with no warning, she was kissing him. A feeling of extreme joy filled his body. He didn’t think any other moment could ever make him feel like this again.
He truly began to love her then. It wasn’t like he hadn’t loved her before then, but this was a different kind of love. This wasn’t just a crush, this was a feeling of true love.
For one last moment he felt the joy inside his body then, like the smile, it faded. He still couldn’t believe what had happened. How had one small fight caused him to feel this way? How had one small fight caused her to leave him forever? He wished she would come back, but knew she wouldn’t. He had left all her stuff where it had been before the fight. He couldn’t urge himself to move it. It was like she hadn’t really gone anywhere, he just couldn’t see her.
Another memory came to him. The engagement. The feelings of the memory were almost the same as the ones from the first date.
He had been planning it for a while now, asking her to marry him. He bought the ring two weeks ago, and decided tonight was the night. They had been going out for three years exactly tonight. In anniversary of their first date, they decided to see a movie. He would do it in the lobby, right after the movie ended, he decided.
Like his first date, the movie was completely wiped out of his head. He was too nervous to actually care about the movie, even though it had been his choice. When the credits started to roll, and the lights came back on he grabbed her hand, and walked into the lobby.
“Stand right here,” he told her.
“O.K.,” she laughed, “Why?”
He got down on one knee and pulled out the ring box, “Melissa, will you marry me?”
“Omigod,” (he remembered it as one word), “yes, yes, yes. I’ll marry you.”
He could hear clapping in the background. People wolf-whistling, and cheering for the newly engaged. He paid attention to none of it; he was too happy to hear it.
This memory brought no smile or chuckle, instead he felt around on her nightstand, picking up her ring. Her one karat gold, diamond ring. He took his off his finger, he couldn’t help but still wear it. He put them together and stared. How the bond between could have been broken, he still wasn’t sure. It was unfair! They were going to get married in a month! They had moved in together. This brought another memory, moving day.
He asked her to move in with him the same night he had gotten engaged with her. Of course she agreed. Together, with money from work, they bought themselves an apartment. It was fairly good sized, not extremely big, and not too small. The rent was cheap and they were allowed to do any renovation they wanted, so long as it didn’t bother the neighbors.
They moved in a few weeks after the engagement. As soon as she started bringing her stuff in she said, “We’re definitely going to need to do some remodeling.”
“When we get the time and the money,” he responded.
Fortunately for them, Melissa’s parents gave them money. Enough money, in fact, to start remodeling. They had started by painting all the rooms.
Next they had bought new furniture to replace the old, cheap things they had moved in with. Then they had begun work on the bathroom. That was as far as they had gotten before she had left him.
He didn’t know if it would be possible to finish the bathroom. In fact the design had been all up to her. He was only trying to fulfill her vision of what the bathroom should look like. She wanted a light brown stone tiling, and a pedestal sink. She wanted to buy a new metal tub/shower combo.
The idea of metal brought up the crash. He didn’t want to think about the crash, but it chewed its way through all of the other memories and filled his mind with the visions. The ruins of what was left of the car. The fire burning in the front. It brought back memories of pure terror.
They were driving home.
They had been fighting earlier. Fighting about the finances.
“Honey, I just don’t think it’s a good idea to continue with the project for now, we have the wedding coming up.”
“Mark! How many times do I have to tell you, my parents are going to pay for the wedding! Don’t worry about a thing.”
“You realize how much we’ve free-loaded off of them right? Most of the renovations have been with their money, remember? Do you think it’s the best idea to ask them for more money now?”
“Mark! Watch the road! You always do that!”
“Do what?!” he almost screamed, “Just because you’re too chicken to try to make a light doesn’t mean I am!”
“Really Mark, really? You could have gotten us killed just then! We’re driving next to a semi, not a nice old lady! Pay attention!”
“Well, it’s kind of hard to pay attention, when all you’re doing is complaining about money, and nagging about my driving!”
“ME! You’re the one complaining about using my parents’ money! I know it’s probably not the best idea, but you’re parents are dead!”
“DON’T YOU BRING UP MY PARENTS!” this time he did scream, no, he roared.
Mark’s parents had died in a house fire five months earlier. A teenager had thought it would be funny to see what happens when you tie the fuses of twenty bottle rockets together, light it, then throw it through somebody else’s window. His mom had heard the window shatter and both of his parents went to see what was going on. The bottle rockets exploded all at once, and knocked his parents, unconscious, against the wall. The carpet burned first, then began to consume the two bodies in its way of the rest of the house. Neither of them came out of the house alive.
“Then shut up about using my parents’ money! They feel sorry for you Mark! They want to pay for our wedding! You’re like a son to them!”
“I don’t want to use their money! We can afford to have a wedding without their help Melissa! You and I both know that!”
“Mark! Watch the road! Mark! Are you paying attention to me?!”
But he was paying attention to her. Too much attention to her. Was it possible to be that pretty when you were mad? When tears were streaming down your eyes and make-up running, could you look good? For Melissa the answer was yes.
Ironically it was a nice old lady who got them into the wreck. Mark had run a red light and was about to T-Bone the women. Quickly he swerved around her, and the car started to spin. It hit a light post on the passenger’s side. Right where Melissa was sitting.
He needed to hear her voice again. She had left after the crash, but he needed to hear her voice. Even if she didn’t pick up, which he knew she wouldn’t, he would hear her voice on the machine; that’s all that mattered. He just needed to apologize. Ask her to come back, even though she wouldn’t. He picked up his phone and called Melissa’s.
Tears began to stream down his face as the blue-white light of her phone turned on. It vibrated on her night stand and as it did he began to sob, harder each time. Finally her voicemail answered.
“Hi, you’ve reached Melissa, leave your name, number, and message after the beep and I’ll get back to you as soon as I can.”
The generic tone went off, and Mark hung up. He knew he would never see her again. He continued to sob, just thinking of her made it worse. And he had to sign funeral papers tomorrow.
He lay on his bed, not able to sleep. He had gone one to bed at 10:00 last night, but now it was 3:00 in the morning. He had tried reading and listening to music, but nothing could get his mind off of her. It had only been a few days since she left him, and he didn’t think he would be able to get over it.
He didn’t want to be this emotional about it, he thought only girls cried when this kind of thing happened to them, but he couldn’t get over her. The way her dark brown hair shimmered in the sunlight. The way her eyes, the color of the ocean, captivated him every time he stared into them. He had loved her in a way he had loved no one else, but for some reason she had left him. She didn’t even say goodbye, “But neither have you,” he thought.
He blamed it on himself for her leaving, but couldn’t figure out why. The fight wasn’t her fault, and nobody could have predicted her leaving right after that. They had had good times, many, many good times before them. So why should one fight separate them like this?
He remembered when he asked her out on a first date. He remembered all the dates. All the good times they had together. Now the memories came to him in a wave of thought.
He thought of how afraid he had been to ask her out. He had walked up to her awkwardly; they had met in high school, senior year. It was the last nine weeks of school when he finally mustered up the strength to ask her on a date.
As he walked up to her his tongue seemed to swell to twice its size. As he got closer to her he forgot what he was going to say. He had planned his words yesterday, but didn’t get to see her. His chance had come and he couldn’t let it fly away from him. He reached her desk and put one hand in his pocket and the other on his desk.
“Hey Melissa,” he said, lamely.
“Hey Mark,” she responded uncomfortably.
“I was thinking...maybe you wanted to see a movie or something this weekend?”
“Umm...I guess I don’t have plans this weekend, why not?”
So that weekend they had gone to the movies together. What movie Mark could not remember, but he did remember how good she had looked. She had curled her hair, and wore a green blouse and jeans. She was wearing make-up, but not too much. Just enough to cover her blemishes. He wouldn’t have cared anyway, who didn’t have some imperfection?
After the movie he drove her home. He walked her up to the door, and before she went in she said, “That was really fun. We should do it again sometime.” He nodded back in agreement. It wasn’t a kiss, but it felt like one to his mind. She actually liked him! He didn’t think it would have worked out that way.
The memory brought a small smile to his face that faded almost instantly. If she liked him so much, and he liked her back, why did he let her leave? He should have talked to her. Tell her everything was going to be alright. Let her know that it wouldn’t happen again. But he didn’t. He was too angry to say anything after the fight.
Another memory came to his mind and rested there. Their first kiss. Where had it been? It was at the carnival, on the Ferris Wheel. The ecstasy of the moment came back to him. The pure joy and shock as her lips touched his.
She had called him earlier that day.
“Hello,” he answered.
“Hey, it’s Melissa.”
“Oh, hi.”
“Hey do you wanna go to the carnival? It’s the last day it’s in town, and I still haven’t gone.”
“Uh...sure, what time should I pick you up?”
“Five-ish I think. It closes at ten, and I’m only a few minutes away from it.”
“O.K. see ya then!”
“Bye!”
So he had gotten ready. By the time he had taken a shower, ate, and brushed his teeth it was four-thirty. He had to go, or he would be late. He said bye to his mom, who was reading the paper in the living room, and left the house.
He got to Melissa’s house at five o’clock exactly. He was starting to open his door, to get her when she came running out of her house. As she opened the door he heard her say bye to somebody, and she ran to his car.
“Hey, what’s up?”
“Not much, just going to the carnival want to come along?”
She giggled, and responded, “Why not? I mean I was headed toward your car anyway.”
He smiled and opened the passenger door for her. He got in himself then drove to the carnival, following her directions.
He paid for the tickets. She was going to stop him, but it was too late. She took the ticket trying to tell him that she would pay him back, but he wouldn’t allow it.
“That’s what I do; I pay for my girlfriend to go places.”
“Fine, but I’m paying for food if we get anything.”
It was nine-thirty when he got in line for the Ferris Wheel, she had gone to get cotton candy. She came back with a cone of blue fluff.
“Are you alright with blue? I know there’s really no difference in flavor, but I like the blue better.”
“Yeah it’s fine.”
By now they were in the front of the line. They got on the ride, and a man strapped them in. Luckily for them they were the last ones to get on. The wheel spun at a speed where you could feel a soft breeze, but not fast enough to make you sick. After a couple minutes the wheel stopped its cycle. Melissa and Mark were on the very top. They were directly facing the full moon. He put his arm around her shoulders.
“It’s so pretty up here isn’t it?” she asked.
“Yeah,” he responded, he leaned closer to her. Their heads were almost touching.
Time seemed to move slowly as she turned to face him. She wrapped her arms around his body and leaned closer to him. Then with no warning, she was kissing him. A feeling of extreme joy filled his body. He didn’t think any other moment could ever make him feel like this again.
He truly began to love her then. It wasn’t like he hadn’t loved her before then, but this was a different kind of love. This wasn’t just a crush, this was a feeling of true love.
For one last moment he felt the joy inside his body then, like the smile, it faded. He still couldn’t believe what had happened. How had one small fight caused him to feel this way? How had one small fight caused her to leave him forever? He wished she would come back, but knew she wouldn’t. He had left all her stuff where it had been before the fight. He couldn’t urge himself to move it. It was like she hadn’t really gone anywhere, he just couldn’t see her.
Another memory came to him. The engagement. The feelings of the memory were almost the same as the ones from the first date.
He had been planning it for a while now, asking her to marry him. He bought the ring two weeks ago, and decided tonight was the night. They had been going out for three years exactly tonight. In anniversary of their first date, they decided to see a movie. He would do it in the lobby, right after the movie ended, he decided.
Like his first date, the movie was completely wiped out of his head. He was too nervous to actually care about the movie, even though it had been his choice. When the credits started to roll, and the lights came back on he grabbed her hand, and walked into the lobby.
“Stand right here,” he told her.
“O.K.,” she laughed, “Why?”
He got down on one knee and pulled out the ring box, “Melissa, will you marry me?”
“Omigod,” (he remembered it as one word), “yes, yes, yes. I’ll marry you.”
He could hear clapping in the background. People wolf-whistling, and cheering for the newly engaged. He paid attention to none of it; he was too happy to hear it.
This memory brought no smile or chuckle, instead he felt around on her nightstand, picking up her ring. Her one karat gold, diamond ring. He took his off his finger, he couldn’t help but still wear it. He put them together and stared. How the bond between could have been broken, he still wasn’t sure. It was unfair! They were going to get married in a month! They had moved in together. This brought another memory, moving day.
He asked her to move in with him the same night he had gotten engaged with her. Of course she agreed. Together, with money from work, they bought themselves an apartment. It was fairly good sized, not extremely big, and not too small. The rent was cheap and they were allowed to do any renovation they wanted, so long as it didn’t bother the neighbors.
They moved in a few weeks after the engagement. As soon as she started bringing her stuff in she said, “We’re definitely going to need to do some remodeling.”
“When we get the time and the money,” he responded.
Fortunately for them, Melissa’s parents gave them money. Enough money, in fact, to start remodeling. They had started by painting all the rooms.
Next they had bought new furniture to replace the old, cheap things they had moved in with. Then they had begun work on the bathroom. That was as far as they had gotten before she had left him.
He didn’t know if it would be possible to finish the bathroom. In fact the design had been all up to her. He was only trying to fulfill her vision of what the bathroom should look like. She wanted a light brown stone tiling, and a pedestal sink. She wanted to buy a new metal tub/shower combo.
The idea of metal brought up the crash. He didn’t want to think about the crash, but it chewed its way through all of the other memories and filled his mind with the visions. The ruins of what was left of the car. The fire burning in the front. It brought back memories of pure terror.
They were driving home.
They had been fighting earlier. Fighting about the finances.
“Honey, I just don’t think it’s a good idea to continue with the project for now, we have the wedding coming up.”
“Mark! How many times do I have to tell you, my parents are going to pay for the wedding! Don’t worry about a thing.”
“You realize how much we’ve free-loaded off of them right? Most of the renovations have been with their money, remember? Do you think it’s the best idea to ask them for more money now?”
“Mark! Watch the road! You always do that!”
“Do what?!” he almost screamed, “Just because you’re too chicken to try to make a light doesn’t mean I am!”
“Really Mark, really? You could have gotten us killed just then! We’re driving next to a semi, not a nice old lady! Pay attention!”
“Well, it’s kind of hard to pay attention, when all you’re doing is complaining about money, and nagging about my driving!”
“ME! You’re the one complaining about using my parents’ money! I know it’s probably not the best idea, but you’re parents are dead!”
“DON’T YOU BRING UP MY PARENTS!” this time he did scream, no, he roared.
Mark’s parents had died in a house fire five months earlier. A teenager had thought it would be funny to see what happens when you tie the fuses of twenty bottle rockets together, light it, then throw it through somebody else’s window. His mom had heard the window shatter and both of his parents went to see what was going on. The bottle rockets exploded all at once, and knocked his parents, unconscious, against the wall. The carpet burned first, then began to consume the two bodies in its way of the rest of the house. Neither of them came out of the house alive.
“Then shut up about using my parents’ money! They feel sorry for you Mark! They want to pay for our wedding! You’re like a son to them!”
“I don’t want to use their money! We can afford to have a wedding without their help Melissa! You and I both know that!”
“Mark! Watch the road! Mark! Are you paying attention to me?!”
But he was paying attention to her. Too much attention to her. Was it possible to be that pretty when you were mad? When tears were streaming down your eyes and make-up running, could you look good? For Melissa the answer was yes.
Ironically it was a nice old lady who got them into the wreck. Mark had run a red light and was about to T-Bone the women. Quickly he swerved around her, and the car started to spin. It hit a light post on the passenger’s side. Right where Melissa was sitting.
He needed to hear her voice again. She had left after the crash, but he needed to hear her voice. Even if she didn’t pick up, which he knew she wouldn’t, he would hear her voice on the machine; that’s all that mattered. He just needed to apologize. Ask her to come back, even though she wouldn’t. He picked up his phone and called Melissa’s.
Tears began to stream down his face as the blue-white light of her phone turned on. It vibrated on her night stand and as it did he began to sob, harder each time. Finally her voicemail answered.
“Hi, you’ve reached Melissa, leave your name, number, and message after the beep and I’ll get back to you as soon as I can.”
The generic tone went off, and Mark hung up. He knew he would never see her again. He continued to sob, just thinking of her made it worse. And he had to sign funeral papers tomorrow.
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
Poems by HB
Thing Wished For
marry me
on the hills rolling towards the sea
on top of a lighthouse
be my path
be my light
dance with me
in the windy eye of the storm
in a room full of people
be my shelter
be what others are afraid to be
write to me
when you're far from where I am
when you're a blink away
never forget me
remember the little things
be there for me
when my world falls apart
when I laugh until I cry
hold me together
let me fall apart
want me
chase me when I run away
never give up, even when I fight you
make me your world
make me your love
Painful Realizations
my tears taste sweet on my lips
another broken heart and another someone to miss
friendship never seemed so far away
that will never be enough for me
when you said those things you meant them
how can you be so cold now
i try so hard but i always knew i was never enough
obviously i'm more broken than you thought
the smell of summer winds long past fills my nose
as i take a deep breath and more tears swell up
where i want to be now...
shut me out and wiped away our memories
tick tock....as i watch the phone for a call
while you pretend you don't know i called
or you're busy, right?
don't treat me like a child, don't pacify me.
i know the truth
Ramblings of a Heart Broken Girl's Brain
how i feel is nothing anymore,
insignificant in your master plan.
how i feel is killing me inside,
knowing i'm not what your dreams are made of.
how it hurts me,
you'll never completely see.
how it wrecked me,
part of me thinks you'll never care.
how my life changed
is not for the better like you want to think.
how my everyday
feels empty and lonely.
how i'll make it through the tears,
is a question without an answer.
how you could do this,
something i've asked myself a thousand times.
how i could let myself fall harder than before,
such a silly mistake it is to fall in love...
so please answer me this one question,
how am i to live, if you don't care anymore?
Angel(s)
caught between two lies
the lie that we'll work
and the lie that it's not wrong
stuck between two smiles
one that laughs with me
one that laughs at me
lost between their eyes
the eyes that watch me
and the ones i watch for
standing between best friends
the one who wants me sometimes
and the one who could care less
what to do...
when all there is to do...
is to be not wanted...
and be...
in between.
marry me
on the hills rolling towards the sea
on top of a lighthouse
be my path
be my light
dance with me
in the windy eye of the storm
in a room full of people
be my shelter
be what others are afraid to be
write to me
when you're far from where I am
when you're a blink away
never forget me
remember the little things
be there for me
when my world falls apart
when I laugh until I cry
hold me together
let me fall apart
want me
chase me when I run away
never give up, even when I fight you
make me your world
make me your love
Painful Realizations
my tears taste sweet on my lips
another broken heart and another someone to miss
friendship never seemed so far away
that will never be enough for me
when you said those things you meant them
how can you be so cold now
i try so hard but i always knew i was never enough
obviously i'm more broken than you thought
the smell of summer winds long past fills my nose
as i take a deep breath and more tears swell up
where i want to be now...
shut me out and wiped away our memories
tick tock....as i watch the phone for a call
while you pretend you don't know i called
or you're busy, right?
don't treat me like a child, don't pacify me.
i know the truth
Ramblings of a Heart Broken Girl's Brain
how i feel is nothing anymore,
insignificant in your master plan.
how i feel is killing me inside,
knowing i'm not what your dreams are made of.
how it hurts me,
you'll never completely see.
how it wrecked me,
part of me thinks you'll never care.
how my life changed
is not for the better like you want to think.
how my everyday
feels empty and lonely.
how i'll make it through the tears,
is a question without an answer.
how you could do this,
something i've asked myself a thousand times.
how i could let myself fall harder than before,
such a silly mistake it is to fall in love...
so please answer me this one question,
how am i to live, if you don't care anymore?
Angel(s)
caught between two lies
the lie that we'll work
and the lie that it's not wrong
stuck between two smiles
one that laughs with me
one that laughs at me
lost between their eyes
the eyes that watch me
and the ones i watch for
standing between best friends
the one who wants me sometimes
and the one who could care less
what to do...
when all there is to do...
is to be not wanted...
and be...
in between.
Helpful Navigation for Artistically Speaking
So I decided I'd share some info to help you navigate around this site a little better. Do you see those two links on the sidebar? They should each have an orange square with three white stripes inside next to them. Well with those you can subscribe to our posts and our comments, using almost any service you could think of. Also, if you are a Blogspot user, or have a Google account, you can follow our blog (please do!)!
One other way to navigate. Underneath every post there are tags, if you click on of those tags, it shows you every post with that tag as well. So, if you want to see all the book reviews on the blog, click the "book review" tag and you can!
P.S. Comment if you want! It's open to everybody and I'm sure everybody would enjoy your feedback on their work.
One other way to navigate. Underneath every post there are tags, if you click on of those tags, it shows you every post with that tag as well. So, if you want to see all the book reviews on the blog, click the "book review" tag and you can!
P.S. Comment if you want! It's open to everybody and I'm sure everybody would enjoy your feedback on their work.
Thursday, December 3, 2009
Poems by Jackie
Hey, just wanted to explain how our sent-in works are going to work. The title of sent in posts will be: (title) by (your name here). In this case we have multiple poems, so in case of multiples, it will be a generic title (i.e. poems, photos, etc.). If you have short stories, music, etc. it will be the title of the work. Also we won't use last names on this site, so don't worry about that.
Now that that's out of the way, here's our first post sent in by a friend of mine and JP's:
Waves and Rain
I think as I sit upon the rocky shore
the sprays from the waves hit my face like a summers rain,
Warm, exciting, sometimes painful but always unexpected.
No one really likes the waves or the rain but I accept them with an open heart.
For how can a flower grow without rain?
A flower loses it beauty if it does not blossom.
How can the ocean change without waves?
Without change it wouldn't be so unique and yet so strange
it would be dull and boring and always the same.
We can't grow and change without winds and the rain.
What good am I?
What good is life if you do not live?
What good is the sun if you hide in the dark?
What good is riches if you do not share it?
What good is a heart if it is filled with hate?
What good is heaven if you are not there?
Life is not worth living if I do not have you
I will give up everything I have for being with you is worth so much more than anything I could ever own
It is not possible for me to have hate in my heart for it is filled with love for you
And I would ride down to the very gate of hell and fight the devil himself to rescue your soul for heaven really isn't perfect without you there.
For WHAT AM I WITHOUT YOU BE MY SIDE?
Today
I breath in the air of a warm spring morning
Everything and everyone is quiet and still
They're waiting for the suns rising
Streaks of red and orange shine over a distant hill
The Earth awakes,
the birds start singing,
the animals start playing,
They're all eager for their new day
The storm is over, the thunder is gone
all their is left of it is the rainbow shining across the sky
I look at all of these things and I see all the Earth's beauty
Yes, one day the storm will com again and the beauty will be gone
but for today beauty is all I see
Today is going to be a good day.
Now that that's out of the way, here's our first post sent in by a friend of mine and JP's:
Waves and Rain
I think as I sit upon the rocky shore
the sprays from the waves hit my face like a summers rain,
Warm, exciting, sometimes painful but always unexpected.
No one really likes the waves or the rain but I accept them with an open heart.
For how can a flower grow without rain?
A flower loses it beauty if it does not blossom.
How can the ocean change without waves?
Without change it wouldn't be so unique and yet so strange
it would be dull and boring and always the same.
We can't grow and change without winds and the rain.
What good am I?
What good is life if you do not live?
What good is the sun if you hide in the dark?
What good is riches if you do not share it?
What good is a heart if it is filled with hate?
What good is heaven if you are not there?
Life is not worth living if I do not have you
I will give up everything I have for being with you is worth so much more than anything I could ever own
It is not possible for me to have hate in my heart for it is filled with love for you
And I would ride down to the very gate of hell and fight the devil himself to rescue your soul for heaven really isn't perfect without you there.
For WHAT AM I WITHOUT YOU BE MY SIDE?
Today
I breath in the air of a warm spring morning
Everything and everyone is quiet and still
They're waiting for the suns rising
Streaks of red and orange shine over a distant hill
The Earth awakes,
the birds start singing,
the animals start playing,
They're all eager for their new day
The storm is over, the thunder is gone
all their is left of it is the rainbow shining across the sky
I look at all of these things and I see all the Earth's beauty
Yes, one day the storm will com again and the beauty will be gone
but for today beauty is all I see
Today is going to be a good day.
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