My favorite world is "Golden"

Golden is the bright yellow color that I adore

Golden is when the sun's rays lay on your

gentle skin and warm you up.

Golden is when a person is bubble and bright

that they make the whole world stop and stare.

Golden is when your smile is so radiant

that seeing it can make someone in the

deepest sorrow smile too.

Please, my love,

never stop being golden.

he Has never loved me sweeter

elliot, is his namE

hIs smile is as gentle aS the sun

how he Holds me, oh

i woUld do anything for his touch

he took me to a picnic the otheR day

unfortunaTely, it began to rain

so we had a change of plans and watched a movie

i must tell you my friend, he is quIne dreamy

a true pleasure to be arouNd

you should meet him sometime

you two would be deliGhtful pals

perhaps we can all go out for dinner

there is always that chinese place down the road

how about we Meet you there on Sunday for lunch

how does twelve thirty sound?

wonderful! we will meet you thEre then, margaret

until then,

Salutations!

(now go back, my friend, and make note of all the capital letters)

Somewhere along the pumpkin vine

A leaf begins to fall

A perfect, crisp orange

The ones you like to step on

As you hear a perfect, satisfying crunch

Somewhere along the pumpkin vine

Somewhere along the pumpkin vine

a crow begins to stalk

Perhaps a nibble, maybe a bite

must not be far along

A smashed pumpkin is there, he sees

Somewhere along the pumpkin vine

Somewhere along the pumpkin vine

A little girl shrieks

"Daddy, Daddy, this one!"

She speaks

he cannot say no

so they put it in the wagon

A snip is made

somewhere along the pumpkin vine.

Somewhere along the pumpkin vine

A girl sits

A cozy sweater, A cup of tea

A moment of gentle bliss

She breaths in the cool, crisp air

Her hair is wild in the wind

she doesn't seem to care

She waits

Somewhere along the pumpkin vine.

I haven't felt this good

In a really long time

Naturally, anyways

Sometimes a new relationship

may make me feel good

or jamming out to my favorite songs

but this is a natural happiness

A woke-up-on-the-right-side-of-the-bed

kind of happiness

A damn-I-look-cute-today

kind of happiness

An everything-will-be-okay

kind of happiness

An today-I-want-to-write

kind of happiness

A I'm-going-to-give-my-partner-a-big-hug

kind of happiness

A blissful moment-of-watching-the-sunrise

kind of happiness

Yet, I can't help but wonder

How long it will actually last.

As I sit here

Looking up at the stars

Orion, Ursa Major, Ursa Minor

Cancer, Taurus, and Virgo

All decided to show their glistening

orbs of light

And decided to show

Itself to someone

As small and meaningless as me

As I sit here on the beach

Reaching my hands into the sand

Seeking the warmth that lies beneath

I've never seen something so beautiful

I try to take a photo

And capture this moment

But it won't show the stars

Just the black night

But maybe it's okay

Perhaps I wouldn't be able to

Remember it as well

And have this moment

Engraved in my brain

If I focused too much on

having a photo

And not being in the moment.

You taught me that

I was naive.

That showing someone my temple

Does not create love

It only created

A lust, a wanting

An eventual feeling forced

"I don't want to..."

"But your body is so beautiful

And I'll get blue balls if you don't"

"okay..."

You taught me that

nobody ever truly stays

no matter how much you think they are.

That they are not the

"love of your life".

They are the love of your life

for the 6 months that they last

You taught me that no matter

how much you think people like you

they still think you are stupid

and not enough.

You taught me that

I don't need a romance

to be happy.

I don't need you

I can love myself

and practice self care

I am so much happier without you

I am living the life I want.

Fuck you for making me feel

hurt and pain over you,

still to this day.

Yet, thank you

for teaching me I don't need

assholes like you

in my life.

Alex

She gave me a gentle, empathetic smile. I loved that smile. I still love that smile. Her hand trailed my arm as she turned around and left. Her touch was soft. Oh, how I longed for it. I turned around and looked at the excuse of a mother. "You are a monster."

"You cannot love that... witch. You are a girl! It's wrong and I only want to protect you from living an eternity in hell." I felt my fist clench as I stood there, in a cold and hard stand-off with her. "You are supposed to put your children first, before any 'belief system.'" I said between my teeth. My mother just ominously smirked at me and shooed me away. She was furious, but would not show it to me. She could not silence me.

"What's so wrong about it? If loving her is a sin then I... I don't want to go to heaven!" She snapped her neck her head around and glared at me. "There's nothing up there I would need anyways, hell, I'll sin all seven days just so I can be with her!" I spat at her feet, right on her fancy new shoes.

"You are a woman. This is not how one should behave or believe." She snarled, taking a few steps closer to intimidate and challenge me. "You may put God first, but her body is my temple and her soul is my savior." She grinned and sarcastically said, "Poetic."

Her fists were clenched too. She wasn't going to back down. But, little did she know that I didn't plan to either. There was a moment of silence "I pray for you. That you find God and that you can return from your," she hesitated for a moment, "selfish ways."

"Well, while you do that, I'm going to be loving the girl of my dreams, her." I shouted, slamming the door behind me as I went to find Mirri.

This short story is inspired by the song Loving Her - Katie Pruitt

"One rose-berry tea coming right up!" I exclaimed. I swung to the other side of the kitchen and put water into the shiny copper kettle. I put on my gardening apron and went out to the back door, gently plucking rosebuds from the bush. The roses smelled beautiful that day. I took a moment to breathe in the warm and fresh spring air. As I trotted back inside, I pulled out the cutting board and gently chopped the rosebuds into fine, little pieces.

I put the rosebuds in the kettle along with a couple of cranberries. The smell of the tea brewing was darling. The one thing I love most about working here is the aroma. The honey, the cinnamon, the lavender drying along the walls.

I began to daydream, wishing to own my own shop when I'm older. Maybe even having my own husband, calling him the love of my life. I spun around, my dress flowing and spinning as I did so. Once I find that man, he would be dreamy, I'm sure. He would hold my hand and make scrumptious bread to go along with my tea. He would be sweet and kind and great with kids. Everything you need in a man, really.

The scream of the kettle snapped me back to reality. I began to pour the water into a separate teapot and say a spell as I did so, as was tradition. "Bring love to the one who drinks this." I softly spoke to nobody in particular. I brought the teapot and matching teacups to the table. There, a soft girl about my age sat.

She was quite breathtaking. Her light green eyes reminded me of leaves. Her hair was a gentle strawberry blonde pulled into a loose, messy bun. Yet, what stood out to me most was the freckles dabbled along her skin. "Why, thank you!" she said with a smile. There was a gap between her two front teeth but there was a part of me who found it... charming? Adorable? Precious? I couldn't quite think of the word.

"I must say, I love your dress!" She said, I stood there a little surprised. "My dress? Thank you, I made it myself." She chuckled to herself a bit, "Maybe you'll have to show me your ways." She hesitated for a moment before continuing, "And this tea smells darling!" This time it was my turn to chuckle. She was so sweet and joyful. "I would love to sit and chat, but I have customers to attend to." I said shyly, nodding in the direction of the cervitaur* waiting at the counter. She nodded understandably and I went over to the counter. I pranced over the counter and took the cervitaur's order.

Yet, as I was making his tea, I couldn't stop thinking about her. I always believed that some people were destined to meet by fate. Surely, if that was the case then fate would make it so I would see her again. She seemed like a kind, young lady anyways.

As I glanced at her, I realized that she was no longer there. A few coins had been left on the table. I had walked over and started to clean up as I realized that she had left one single head of a red tulip. This was universally known as the symbol of love. Much how you would bring your mum a bouquet of red tulips or plant them in your garden to bring you love. I rushed out the door, just in time before she would be completely out of ear shot.

"Excuse me, Ma'am! Who are you?"

She turned around, gave me another gap-tooth smile, and then walked away. And holy Aphrodite, I was in love.

*a centaur but where the horse-like features are replaced with those of a deer.