visitation

George was busy at his desk finishing work up from the day before. As he was typing, he heard footsteps coming up behind him. He turns to look over his shoulder as someone says, “Hey George, what are ya workin on?”. George recognizes the voice and sighs quietly to himself. He was not in the mood for this interaction today. He turns around with a smile on his face, “Oh, hey Sandra. I’m just working on the reports from yesterday.” George turned around in hopes she would get the hint that he is busy and leave him alone. They went on a couple dates just recently and George did not want to go on another one. Sandra was a great person, but she tended to talk way too much. George didn’t feel interested anymore. Despite his cold response, Sandra sits on the edge of his desk. “So I was thinking this weekend we could go to that new place with mini golf, doesn’t that sound fun?” George looks up at Sandra and she looks really excited. “Look… Sandra..” George begins. Sandra interrupts him, “We could do something else, if you want. We could bowl, we could go ice skating, we could-” George interrupts Sandra, “Sandra, I’m sorry I’m busy this weekend actually.” Sandra replies, “Oh, well we could try next weekend! Or if you’re free any night after work we could even stop for a drink?” George sighs to himself again and silently builds up the courage to speak again. “I don’t know, I think I should just take a rain check and get back to you.” Sandra sees the disappointing look on George’s face and slowly stands up. “Oh… I see. Yeah, uh, just get back to me.” She gives George a soft smile and walks away, leaving George feeling even more guilty. 

Bear At The Door

Wife 

(Shouting)

Get in here, there’s a tornado coming!

Husband 

I know I just saw on the news, it’s definitely coming!

Wife 

The baby- she’s sleeping! I’m going to grab her. 

The wife runs up the stairs. 

Husband

We need to find somewhere safe! Somewhere underground... 

Wife 

(now holding baby close)

We don’t have a basement! God, I knew we should’ve gotten a house with a basement!

Husband

Well, we need to find somewhere. And honey, we need to hurry. 

Wife 

(Panicking)

The phones aren’t working. 

Husband 

I can run over to the neighbor’s house and see if we can all fit in their basement with them. Stay here with the baby until I know it’s safe, okay?

Wife

No- no! Are you crazy? It’s too bad out there.  

Husband

What else are we going to do? 

Wife

Maybe we can hide in the bathroom. Or… or-

Husband

(Starts to put on shoes and a jacket)

Please, I need to hurry. I want us all safe. And being somewhere underground is in our best interest right now! 

Wife

What if something happens? What if you can’t make it back?

Husband

I swear I won’t be gone for more than a minute.

A Letter From My Character

Dear Mom,

Hi Mom, I hope you're doing well in Montana with Dad. I know I haven't written in a while, but I miss you guys and a lot has been going on. Please don’t think I’m crazy, but I just had the most life changing experience. I’m not sure how I can explain it to you, and maybe I was dreaming, but I’m still not sure. Let me just get straight to the point; I just had my eyes completely open up. Somebody came to me and showed me how good life can be, and how easy things should be. I can’t believe how I had been acting these past couple of years. I feel like I had wasted so much time and ruined so many great friendships. I realized I had gotten so caught up in the fame, the money, all of the attention, I lost sight of what’s really important to me. What’s really important to me is my team, and of course, my family. I hope my teammates can somehow find a way to not only respect me again, but trust me again too. I’m planning on winning back everyone’s trust, including your’s and Dad’s. I know I have taken advantage of too many things up until this point, and I don’t plan on doing that anymore. Hope you and dad are doing well. Sending all my love. 

Jack Clark

Power of Three Little Words

Anthony and Brooklyn are both seniors in college and have been best friends since they were in grade school. It's a casual spring day as they talk at Brooklyn’s apartment at her kitchen table, eating lunch and working on homework.

Anthony: What’s question four?

Brooklyn: Really, another one?

Anthony: Yes, you’re smart.

Brooklyn: You’re smart too.

Anthony: Not like you

Brooklyn: Lies for answers?

Anthony: What!? No, never!

Brooklyn: Take my sheet.

Anthony: Finally, thank you!

Brooklyn: You always copy.

Anthony: You’re always right.

Brooklyn: Yea, yea, yea

Anthony: You seem cranky.

Brooklyn: Maybe I am.

Anthony: Did something happen?

Brooklyn, I mean, kinda.

Anthony: What is it?

Brooklyn: No big deal.

Anthony: Look at me.

Brooklyn: No big deal!

Anthony: Tell me, now.

Brooklyn: I found something.

Anthony: What was it?

Brooklyn: A letter mailed

Anthony: Mailed to who?

Brooklyn: To my mom.

Anthony: Who’s it from?

Brooklyn: From..my dad.

Anthony: Isn’t your dad…

Brooklyn: ...Dead? I thought.

Anthony: Wait, I’m confused.

Brooklyn: He sent one.

Anthony: Sent just recently?

Brooklyn: Dated last week.

Anthony: So that means…

Brooklyn: He’s been alive.

Anthony: This whole time?

Brooklyn: This whole time.

Anthony: I’m so sorry.

Brooklyn: Don’t be sorry.

Anthony: But, your mom?

Brooklyn: Lied to me.

Anthony: All these years.

Brooklyn: Yea pretty much.

Anthony. I mean, wow.

Brooklyn: For real, wow.

Anthony: So, what now?

Brooklyn: Life goes on?

Anthony: What? That’s crazy

Brooklyn: No, it’s not

Anthony: Let’s find him.

Brooklyn: No, we can’t.

Anthony: What, why not?

Brooklyn: Doesn’t want me.

Anthony: You don’t know.

Brooklyn: Don’t wanna know.

Anthony: You should try.

Brooklyn: I don’t know.

Anthony: I will help

Brooklyn: Really, you would?

Anthony: Always, of course.

Kickstarters Play

It is a bright, sunny morning. A puts his bike out front of B’s apartment building. He walks up the steps and knocks on the door

A: (Out of breath) Hey, sorry I’m so late, again. My car is still giving me trouble. I just haven’t found the time to fix it right now.

B: I mean, it’s all good but still? Your car’s been out for weeks, man. How did you even get all the way here?

A: Oh no, I just biked here it didn’t take too long. I’m starving though, we need to eat something. I smell something good cooking-

B hesitates, and stops A before they walk into the kitchen. B motions A to sit down.

B: -Wait, before we sit down and eat.. We really need to talk about something. 

A gives B a puzzled look as they slowly sit in the kitchen chairs. 

B: I know you have time to fix your car-

(A immediately stands back up)

A: Woah, woah where is this going? 

B: Just hold on! Listen to me, please... for just a second. Please? … sit back down?

A: (slowly sitting back down)

B: (pauses for a few seconds before continuing to speak): I know you have time to fix your car. You don’t have the money. And I know how much you hate when I try to lend you money but I want to help you. You shouldn’t have to be relying on a bike to get around everywhere. Especially with a daughter on the way.

(A drops his head down) 

A: I’m doing fine.

B: You’re not, I know you’re already behind on payments and you need to start thinking of your child too. You shouldn’t have to be worrying about car troubles too. Besides, you need a little better type of transportation when that baby comes too. Just accept my help. 

(They softly smile at each other.)

Blog Journal One

Perseverance

Perseverance is something I have been taught and valued from a very young age. I have been in every sport you can think of; softball, soccer, tennis, basketball, or basically anything you can think of. In any of these sports, having the quality of perseverance is important in every game. I play basketball, and in a specific game we played against the best team in the state. To our surprise, we end up going into overtime with them, and then on to sudden death. The other team first took a shot and my teammate rebounded the ball, immediately passing it up the court next teammate. I ran as fast as I could to the end of the court and I set my feet as I called for the ball. My teammate passed it to me, I shot, and the ball went in the hoop. We won the game! If it wasn’t for my teammates never giving up, we wouldn’t have won the game.
Perseverance is defined as the persistence in doing something despite how difficult it will be to achieve success. This is shown in sports, the workplace, school, and everyday life. Showing continued effort for success is an extremely important quality to have in any situation and will get you very far in life. Each person goes through their own individual daily struggles, but the essence of perseverance is finding the strength to keep going even if you feel like you will fail. The moment you decide to give up is the moment you truly fail.
For the first time, I have been placed in the accelerated math class. Throughout the semester, I’ve been struggling a lot to keep up with the smart kids. I specifically remember one section being especially tough for me and I don’t understand the material. I decided to stay after class to ask my teacher some questions, and I started crying because I have been so frustrated and I didn’t understand the material she was trying to explain. My teacher immediately took me into the other room and sat down with me as she calmed me down. I remember her being so supportive and told me that I was in that class for a reason and if I kept working hard and never gave up, I would be rewarded. We then made a plan to stay after school a few days a week to study together so I can get extra help. She gave me motivation to not give up on myself so easily. As I studied harder, I ended up with a good grade and more confidence in school overall.
The word “perseverance” has so many meanings to it and is an admirable quality, but not so easy to obtain. It takes a lot of patience and strength to overcome struggles and keep moving forward. When I view someone who is persistent throughout their life, they are automatically a tough person in my eyes. You create a habit out of it, and you need to have a lot of self discipline which isn’t so easy.
Up until this point, a really significant moment in my life has been receiving my license. I was counting the days until my sixteenth birthday, and when I finally got my learner’s permit, I wanted to drive all the time. I had gotten pretty good at it and when the test neared I generally felt pretty confident. My dad suggested we should go practice parking for a few weeks up until the test and thankfully we did. The first couple of weeks, I was absolutely terrible and ended up in tears at the end of almost every time we went to practice. I remember telling my dad the week before my scheduled test that I didn’t even want to take the test anymore because there was no point; I was never going to be able to pass since I couldn’t park. He told me parking takes a lot of practice and that I couldn’t just stop trying, so we went to practice a lot more. As I continued to practice a lot more consistently for the next week, I was starting to be able to park without hitting the poles as much. Although I wanted to give up, I ended up parking perfectly on the test so I was really thankful for the amount of practice I put into it.

Blog Journal 2

My dogs ears are big and they stick out from the top of his head. The fur is extra long on top and it moves as he does. They are the softest part of his body. They point up when he is on high alert. When he is feeling cuddly, he will put his ears down as a signal to pet his head.

“For real?”

“No, for fake.”

Snow. Sled. Trees. Climb. Chocolate chip cookies. Hot chocolate. Littlest Pet Shop. Warmth. Fireplace. Mittens. Hats. Scarves. Hugs from dad. Snow forts. Kitchen. Yellow ladle. Silver bowl. Barcelona. Airplanes. Piano. Concerts. Long distances. Anxiety. Taxis. Busy city. Playing cards. Long coats. Travel.

A smokey smell reminds me of my neighbor’s house. Everytime I would go there, there’s a instant smell of cigarette smoke. It’s more of a faint smell, as if someone smoked in there the day before. One of the last times that I remember being there I was really young, I was left alone and I dropped a pair of scissors on my pinky toe and it split open. My mom had to come pick me up.

Chapter 14

A Night’s Sleep

Unbothered, I have unknowingly entered in a completely different state
Faster and faster, I fall further asleep
Deeper and deeper,
I have lost all control
Nothing makes me wonder more than my dreams, truly
Although my eyes are shut, my mind opens like a book
while the pages keep turning as the story expands
The colors jump off of the pages convincing me of it’s truth
The illusion of my stories makes me wonder if this is reality
My unconscious perception of the world is revealed
I wake up and I write them all down in a journal
I never want to forget what my mind comes up with while I am asleep

Chapter 11

All I Have 

All I have is this photograph
It shows me what I have lost,
it painfully yells in my ear and
it never lets me forget what I have once felt
I carefully examine the faded picture with curled edges
but I only look at arms that wrapped around me;
I can see his fingertips pressing into my skin,
I can still feel them, just as I can still hear his smile
that once beamed with radiation telling me
I will never be unprotected.
The photograph screams at me,
“What do you see?”
I see my friend who was once with me,
and now all I have is this photograph

Chapter 10

The Drive

It’s a long drive up the hill,
while curiosity overflows for what awaits
We have only been there for thirty minutes,
but it feels like hours have gone by. The oldest one amongst us
immediately takes us under her wing, protecting us
It can only go such a long way

Pondering life and where I am throughout this drive
My thoughts inhabit me for this short moment
Warm, lights thoughts
they float through my head like a balloon
Everything feels okay in this moment

Chapter 9

My Life

Is a feather
Slowly, lightly drifting through the air
My bones are soft
My mind is fragile
With such delicacy do I move; I am lifted through silence
Floating high up over the tall mountains, as I watch
them standing there
I daze through the atmosphere and
the wind quickly caught my face, reminding me 
where I needed to go. 
I am constantly being dropped on the ground 
But I am fall softly,
I am never to be heard

Chapter 8

Ocean Thoughts 

A poem is an ocean

Your thoughts are the waves while

imagination floods your mind

Imagery floods your poem and

allow it to take over

- When you open your mind you find

that the path to the sea is calm;

but as you approach it gets louder

you hear nothing but the waves crashing

and you’re overwhelmed with the warm smell of salt

The breeze only invites you with sharp, cold winds

You silently sit and pray; you wonder how you ended up there

Chapter 7

The Music That A Poem Creates

Music is equivalent to a poem 

I pick out every chord 

I try to find every instrument used

What is being strummed in my ear

only can be heard as a story;

a story that has been played over and over again

Music gracefully glades through the grey room 

the grey room that no longer exists

The root of the rust crack as the sun awakens

The dust settles at dawn

Chapter 5

Troubled Feelings

The missing of you hurts like a punch to the gut

The memories flood me, rushing in my mind like a tsunami 

You will never feel the emptiness 

The hollow pain that lives in my chest

Years and years and years 

Of empty, hollow pain

My dreams shape your face and echo your voice

I can never escape the war inside my mind you have created 

The hole in which you have left empty will never have a chance to feel full again

Chapter 2 Poem

What Is Next

If poems are memories that haunt us, then what is the first thing that comes to mind
What is fresh in our minds is never too much
Too much, too much
I tell myself what is too much?
Isn’t this how its supposed to be?
No more overthinking, express what you have already thought 
Memory stays with you forever and I put it down on my paper 
Almost feels like a sting to my skin when I think of it 
It was just the beginning and now what is next 
The stinging pain comes back at the thought of
What is next

The Real Poetry of You

Allie Stamos 

Admirably big eyes, long hair 

Loves to admire the blue skies

Lists, lights, laces

Ideally, everything happens for a reason 

Eagerly a small, thin build

Settings differentiate where I get reaquainted with a past friend

The love I have for all animals is immense

Ate chocolate icecream more than I should

My favorite clothes fit me perfectly

Overly organized and independent 

Someday I will travel the world

The List Poem

The sister 

The sister who is stubborn

when life feels out of place

The sister with long, brown hair

with every inch groomed

The sister who walks with confidence

but can make you feel at home with her presence

The sister who longs for perfection 

The sister who is sensitive 

yet will never show you

The sister with the freckles in the summer 

The sister with the pale skin in the winter

The sister who pushes me down

Only to pick me back up

The sister that I fight with

The sister that I cry with

The sister I will never stop laughing with