Did you miss them every night?
Do you wish you could've said goodbye?
Was it worth it for the life you led?
You spoke of them in your final breath.
We're the stars the family you loved?
Was it them they reminded you of?
Did you seek them when your sisters passed on?
You saw them once more. Then you were gone.
Was it hard to see millennias pass?
Were you relieved when you breathed your last?
Was it relief to die among friends?
You became a constellation in the end.
I’ll stay in line and keep to myself
until I know for sure how you feel.
Never liked getting disappointed,
but I always doubt things are real.
I look at you across the room
then look away before you don’t look back.
You suck at this but I do too
so I’ll just cut you some slack.
Maybe your flaws are what I need
to not get entangled in my feelings.
But please call me back when you hear this.
Please do not leave me reeling.
I’m at church four days a week.
I always think before I speak.
The Lord’s word is always before me.
I do so much right, but my flesh is weak.
I praise God with all I have.
Give what He gives me right back.
I’m kind to everyone I meet.
I try but there’s a thorn in me.
I try to walk in obedience.
Joy is what I try to dispense.
I do so much, not to be seen.
But in the shadows I am weak.
I crave things I do not need
and think of people before I seek
the One who gives the air I breathe.
But He is strong when I am weak.
I’d be so good to love,
but would it be enough?
Would you be okay with just holding my hand?
I’d be there when you call.
I promise not to withdraw.
But if I don’t want more, will you understand?
Honest and loyal to a tee,
everything a good girl should be.
Could you forgive me for playing it safe?
I’d love you the right way.
Please believe me when I say
I do not plan on throwing this race.
I crave things I don’t need,
but I’d admit that willingly.
I am for higher than I’m currently made of.
Would you truly be okay
waiting until our wedding day?
I promise, I’d be so good to love.
I post more on my Instagram
Let me tell you something I know:
Faux flowers are pretty, but they’ll never grow.
You can give them the tools that they’d need,
but all of your efforts will produce no seed.
They cannot change, they offer no scent.
They are simply pretty until they get bent,
Collecting dust and fading, they will go
and no new blossoms will ever grow.
He waited longer than he had in the nights of the past,
gathering the courage he would require to ask.
Then he sent out a song to her, threading through the air,
wondering nervously if she would meet him there.
“Come meet me here in the shade.
Let’s steal this moment away.
I know I’ve been far from you,
I promise it’s hard for me too.
But if you’ve the time to spare,
I can bring you with me there.”
He sang until the lonesome hour turned into two
then breathed a sigh of relief as she stepped into view.
Her smile was gold, her eyes shining like stars as she called out,
“Where, my love? What wine have you drunk? What are you about?”
He stepped forward and stroked her hair with a sigh.
The lady spun around, smiling as she met his dark eyes.
“I’m sorry,” he said. “I had to ask. I beg of youyr pardon.”
“Don’t,” she said warmly. “I’d been wondering if you had a garden?”
“I do and it’s yours if you’ll take my hand with it.”
She took his hand in hers. “How could I not? Look how they fit.”
The lord smiled at the sight of their fingers intertwined.
“Yes,” he agreed. “I like having your hand nestled in mine.”
The lady smiled, then it fell. “One question before we go;
Will I be able to see my mother when I am below?”
His smile turned downward. He caressed the back of her hand.
“We do not often open the gates that seal the bottomland.
The dead could escape and wrongly return… it’s not often
that there is a reason that the gates let one cross in.”
Persephone nodded, concealeing her tears beneath her lashes.
“I will miss her. Let’s pray the feeling fades or passes.”
So they headed underground, under the cover of lead,
walking hand in hand to the realm of the dead.
The lady couldn’t breathe as the sun sank down past the skyline.
“Rest well, Apollo,” she whispered as the day turned to night.
She lay on her bed. Eyes closed. Ears straining to hear
for the calling of her name from the one she called dear.
Seconds stretched to hours. She yearned to get up and go.
When the stillness became unbearable, a melody wafted through her window.
Persephone sat up and smiled, hearing words with the tune
as outside her love sang from underneath the moon.
“Come meet me here in the shade.
Let’s steal this moment away.”
With his voice to guide her, she ventured out to the wood.
The stars were diamonds, the grass like silk underfoot.
“Hades, my love,” Persephone said, her voice a sigh.
“Yes, my dear?” he replied, stepping into her sight.
She hurried to his side, stopping short out of caution.
With a blush she admitted, “I have thought of you often.”
“And I, you,” the lord said, taking her hand in his own.
He studied the softness of her cheek and the line of her collarbone.
Persephone held her breath, not daring to break the spell.
When his eyes remet hers, she could see that he fell.
“Dance with me,” she said, pulling him into a small clearing.
He held her in his arms, his face betraying his feelings.
They swayed beneath the starry sky, speaking with their eyes.
After dancing for hours, he stole her breath with a kiss at sunrise.
There is no bigger heartache than to
fall in love alone.
Nothing hurts a spirit more than to
keep reaching for the phone
only to second-guess what you’d say
to that unworthy love
and one day realize that they won’t
ever be that worthy of
the love that you bestow to them
oh so dutifully.
One day you’ll wake up and see
you loved them stupidly.
They don’t love you and never will
yet you were so convinced
that they were so deserving of
the love that you dispensed.
You’ll ache and moan and cry tears
until you are run dry.
Years will pass, you’ll still think of them
as the months go by.
But eventually, and with some work,
you will forget their name.
And with the relapsing memory,
you will forget the pain.
So, my dear, I hope that you heed
the words I offer now
and try to break the love you give
even if you’re not sure how.
There is no heartache as bitter as
falling in love alone
but with the choice to try and change
you’ll find a joy you can own.
Trekking out into the darkness under a canopy of trees
was a maiden with a beating heart called Persephone.
Woken from a dream that made her heart beat all too fast,
where a voice called out to her “Come while the night lasts.”
Was it him or a stranger trying to lure her outside?
Persephone longed for someone in whom she could confide.
Her mother never let her far from her grasp
and had told her, “feelings tied to men may not last.”
But Persephone was weary from being all-but alone
so she wandered out beneath the canopy of a starry dome.
Towards the heart of the forest, a melody hit her ears.
In couplets of seven, the melody would follow her for years.
The lady smiled. “Where are you? Show me your face!
Do not leave me alone in this dark and quiet place!”
“I’m sorry,” he replied, stepping out from behind a tree.
“I wanted to take you in before we began to speak.”
The lady smiled, her cheek turning red with delight.
“Hades, you could have given me quite a fright.”
The lord grinned, grabbing her hand. “Forgive me.
But for the past month, you are the one I wanted to see.”
“Why not come calling?” she asked in a breath, his hand cool in hers.
“I only get away when it is dark or things are tragic,” he whispered.
“Although,” he paused, eyes pouring into hers. “I wish to see you more.
Forgive my forwardness, but it’s a thought I wanted to implore.”
She squeezed his hand, pressing their hands to her chest.
“Forwardness has worth. I’d love to honor the request.”
Heaven. I’m still waiting for you to come.
In a place I cannot share. I have no one.
One promise, lives lost to become joined together.
One being, two spirits, trying to stand the weather.
Come in, the water’s fine. Don’t you love its allure?
Baby, why are you hesitating? I’ve been assured.
Slowing heart. I lay down in a bed of grass.
Slight panic, but then the moment passed.
Join me, darling. You’ll be so at peace.
Come with me. It’ll put me at ease.
I’m falling, slipping away into the abyss.
Fall with me and the sensation will be bliss.
Let’s ride in a boat on an underwater river.
Jump on in. The water is good, just gives a shiver.
What’ll it be? Are you coming or not?
Grab hold of me or else I’ll never be caught.
“Boom! That’s how we do it!” Simon yelled as he and Justin won their third round in DuneDoom, their new favorite video game.
“Lucky win,” Jerry grumbled.
“Okay, let’s do one more round,” Simon challenged.
“Actually, I think I’m going to head to the dorm and get a head start on the Spanish packet,” Justin said.
“I’ll take his spot,” Bailey offered. “If Simon thinks he can keep up.”
“Oh, you’re on,” Simon grinned.
Justin left the rec room and headed for the boys’ dorm. As he headed down the back lawn he heard someone following him.
Checking behind himself, Justin found Michael Hunt, who was also heading for the dorms.
“Great,” Justin groaned to himself as he faced forward. “Do I walk slower and let him walk with me so we can make small talk or not?”
Justin made no move to slow down and Michael made no effort to jog forward and join him. Justin did, however, hold the door open for him, doing the bare minimum to be polite. Michael gave a nod of thanks.
“So, not talking,” Justin noted. “Got it.”
Michael pressed the up button on the elevator and got on first, his finger poised over the button for the second floor. Justin joined him and they stood in awkward silence as Michael pressed the button and the elevator doors eased shut.
They couldn’t have been going upwards for more than a couple seconds before Michael hit the emergency stop button.
When you're dropped in the middle of the ocean,
you immediately hope you don't drown.
You pray, face turned to the heavens, that you won't go underwater.
You may start out floating and feeling quite alright,
but you wonder if it's just low tide.
You feel confident in your ability to swim,
but what happens when you begin to tire?
Saltwater splashes in your eye but the sting is light.
It'll be worse with your eyes open under the surface.
But if you close your eyes, all you see is darkness
and the water weighs you down.
So if you drown, you try to keep your eyes open
so that you can remember the sunlight that once warmed your skin.
You'll be weary so you'll let your body sink for a moment
before kicking upwards and taking ragged breaths.
The air will sting worse than the salt in your eyes,
but it will make you feel alive.
Not that you want to sink under, you want to stay afloat.
But sometimes the weight of the water in your clothes drags you under.
And you wonder as you are still above
if you'll be strong enough to come back up.
Darkness hung like a curtain in the middle of the wood,
a doorway of shadow that swayed where it stood.
An entrance of night, a door to the world down below;
a pathway few would see, but many would know.
The lady noticed the cold before she could see the door;
it banished the warmth so well it was like it hadn’t been there before.
A shiver went through her as the cold settled in her bone,
separating her from her senses, leaving her feeling frozen and alone.
The lord squeezed her hand. “Close your eyes if you desire.
Perhaps the change will be easier if you don’t see it transpire.”
The lady stared at the doorway and straightened her spine.
“No. I would prefer to see you the entire time.”
He smiled at her courage. “Don’t let go of me. One step after another.”
Then he led her through the shadow, under darkness’s cover.
The darkness clung to her skin, seeping into her lungs.
She choked on its heaviness, wondering what horrors had begun.
Her mind recalled every lie, every disappointment that transpires,
all the pains she’d felt, every unfulfilled desire.
Like waves, they crashed over her. In her lungs, her breath was shallow.
One foot at a time, the lady descended down below.
Then came the light and warmth coating her skin
and the relief of air flooded her lungs again.
The darkness faded; a gradient giving away to light.
A dawn in the world below, not a complete night.
But there wasn’t true daylight, it would never be past dawn.
There were no flowers nor grass in the lawn.
There was nothing but shadows, rocks, dirt,
and a castle in the distance, built of granite and earth.
The landscape held shadows of other realms in the distance
and there was wailing in the air if one chose to listen.
There was singing too, melodies of joy and cheer
and she found the castle welcoming as they neared.
“It’s just a corner of the kingdom,” he said, his voice cracking.
“But I will provide whatever you decide it’s lacking.”
The lady was bright and saw richness in the soil.
Her heart was willing, her hands ready to toil.
No, the work wouldn’t be easy but the seeds could take
and Persephone knew how beautiful a garden she could make.
The lady smiled softly. “No world should be judged in a second.
Love is a choice that requires patience and dedication.”
The work had begun. They were in it together.
But above ground, stormy weather.
BAM! Something banged against the door, causing Justin and Simon to jump. Eliza raised an eyebrow at them.
“You both have younger siblings,” she said. “Shouldn’t you be used to random noises?”
“Nope,” Simon replied. “They always do it when I least expect it.”
Eliza rolled her eyes, getting up to see what had made the noise.
“Watch out!” someone called as she opened the door.
Eliza ducked, just missing a projectile that headed straight for the boys. Justin, on instinct, formed a force field around them as Eliza slammed the door shut.
The unidentified item hit the shield and burst, leaving the force field dripping with water.
“A water balloon?” Simon frowned.
“A water balloon,” Eliza smirked.
“Oh, awesome!” Justin stood, shrinking his force field to only cover the area in front of him.
Simon followed, smiling like a mad man. “Divide and conquer or full force?”
“Full force,” Justin answered.
Eliza nodded, her hand gripping the doorknob. “On the count of three?”
“One…” Simon began.
“Two…” Justin continued.
“Three!” Eliza finished, pulling open the door and rushing onto the field.
The sound of strings wafts through the stillness of the air,
intertwining with the lushness that flourished everywhere.
The scents of wisteria and narcissus are there if you search them out
and though the air is still, the fullness of life surely abounds.
Elysium, beloved. A realm of solitude and peace,
where souls go to rest when they need ease.
There’s celebration each fortnight and laughter each noon.
It reminds one of a lazy afternoon in the grass where flowers bloom.
Full of comfort and cheer for when the departed come
is the realm of the deserving, the realm of Elysium.
Wanna walk with my eyes closed into the unknown
and not fall off the edge of the world.
Want to take down my hair at the end of the day
and find my hair perfectly curled.
But the world doesn’t work like that.
Wanna fly in real life like I do in my dreams
and take off whenever I want.
Wanna believe the cheers I hear when I have
accomplished an impossible stunt.
Want to skate on the ocean and play in the rain.
Want to run a mile and feel no pain.
Want to always feel good, not like today.
But the world doesn’t work like that.
Want to have all the courage a lion could bear.
Want to smile like an idiot. I want to stare.
Want to love the real you as much as the ideal.
Want to tell you all my thoughts and how I feel.
Want to hear you say yes on some fateful day.
But the world doesn’t work that way.
