Take a step

off the edge,

all alone,

jump off the ledge,

Down below,

keep drifting lower

away from the light,

moving slower,

Moving down to earth

with more of your kind,

with no wings sweeping you up,

with more freedom in your mind,

Falling slowly,

you escaped their pace,

you found your life

in your fall from grace.

I saw your face as I sunk down,

deeper in the ground.

I saw your tears mix with the air,

till your eyes were dry and bare.

I heard your silent, slow goodbyes,

sent both below and towards the sky.

I heard your breathing miss a beat,

with your gaze never rising above your feet.

This marked the end of our long life,

filled with love and filled with strife.

This marked the end of our prime,

as we said our goodbyes for the very last time.

Surrounded by flowing green fields, covered by the glimmering night sky, little Oliver sat, staring straight above. He attempted to stand but his short stature seemed to lose against gravity as he tumbled back down. He watched as the stars shifted with his every movement. As his long blonde hair swayed, so did the stars. Just as his blue eyes contained the reflections of the bright lights, the stars contained his joy in the radiance of their glow. As he began to dance, they seemed to wink back at him, approving of his childish, enthusiastic movements. This silent conversation continued between the boy and the celestial beings above.

Then, came the main event. As the clouds began to roll in to cover the stars, Oliver braced himself.

“1… 2… 3… Go!”

At the signal of the rising determination within himself, Oliver began to run,

trying to outrun the clouds. He was running to preserve the clarity of his view, trying to maintain the light which he loved. In that moment, only one thought ran through Oliver’s mind.

“Don’t Go...”

He ran, pushing every ounce of energy through his veins, to power his legs and push towards the sky. He raced against the speeding clouds that were smothering the light. He chased after the stars. All of his effort was directed to this one goal. He pushed through pain and exhaustion, as the fear began to close in. He ran and ran, until his little legs gave in.

He crumpled to the ground, refusing to lift his head. He knew the lights were gone. With the fear of the impending darkness, Oliver began to cry. He thought of the ones he saw in the stars and the emptiness of a dark solitude without them by his side. He kept his eyes shut, trying to preserve the last flares of light he had branded into his retinas. In them, he saw two smiles, fading away. They were familiar smiles associated with warm embraces filled with love, and stern words filled with care and caution. They were the smiles of his parents.

Oliver poured his heart out onto the grass below him. All of the determination he once had in order to reach the sky, now sunk deep below the ground. He was too young to understand, but the loneliness of opportunities and love stolen from him, now brought the darkness into his heart. He remained this way until dawn struck.

As he watched the sun rise and come back down again, the initial scene returned. As though the previous night’s events had never occured, Oliver sat, in the middle of the field, staring at the stars, reaching up. He danced again. The stars winked again. The clouds rolled in. Oliver chased them down. Oliver came to the realization of loss.

Everyday, Oliver ran, cried, and rejoiced. He knew what the outcome would be and yet, he continued. It was not a product of madness.

Oliver had not accepted the loss, but he accepted the short time of love he could obtain. On those nights, his little fingers would rise up to the starlight and filter it through. For those short nights, he could obtain what he had tragically lost. It was okay to cry. It was okay to mourn. But Oliver never let the fear of darkness take away the moments he could still have. He took the darkness with him throughout the day and released it in his joyous dance with the stars. Oliver ran knowing he would never make it, knowing the stars would always be taken away from his sight. However, Oliver ran because he knew that despite the veil of darkness, the stars would still shine. He could not see them, but they were still shining, just for him. And as long as he remembered their light, Oliver could be seen running farther and faster--running after his stars.

The fear that pulls you back behind

The fear that makes your heart go blind

The fear that makes you lose a day

The fear that makes your courage stray

When you finally want to take the leap

that fear will pull you from the deep

It’ll paralyze your arms, your legs, your mind

It’ll pull you back behind

that curtain of black and white

I remember the first time I became aware of my love for writing. I was probably in second or third grade, and I had decided that I wanted to write stories because only I knew the story that I would want to read. I had somehow arrogantly decided that none of the books I read satisfied me in terms of cheesiness and satisfying endings, so I took up the pen myself.

The very first story I ever created was a terrible story called Jalapeno. It was about a farmer named Jalapeno who grew (you guessed it) jalapenos. At some point he met an alien space princess and they fell in love. I know, I know, it was absolutely horrendous and made no sense. However, in my defense I was probably only 6 or 7. I couldn't even type yet, so I asked my older sister to type the story up for me.

Little by little, this small passion grew. I owe it mainly to the amazing English teachers I had growing up. But, the main thing that cemented my love for writing was actually abandoning it. When it came time to decide on future careers, writing seemed too unstable to pursue. Instead I chose biology with the hopes of attaining a job as a researcher. However, once I completed my first year of college, the memories that stood out to me were almost exclusively my humanities classes. Of course, rather than switching majors, I decided, recently, that if I loved writing this much, I should just pursue both writing and biology. Thus, leading me to where I am now.

Your heart melts

at the glimpse of his face

His light shining bright

saves you from that dark place

What once tore you apart

now lifts your heart up so high

Your once dark eyes

now shine brighter than the morning sky

Your heart once so heavy

now soars at the sight of his face

You were once lost and trapped

but now, he brings you out of that dark place

Relief washes over you,

when you see your shining sun

He brings you to another day,

Darkness has not yet won

I stroll through the streets

a rose drifts through the air,

I pass by cobblestone shops

the rose is a single not a pair,

I reach the end of a path

the wind slows down,

I stare towards the horizon

my hands out palms down,

the wind picks up

I see the lonely rose,

I reach out for it, my hands cupped

it eludes me,

I reach again,

I give up, realizing it’s not meant to be

I head back home

Thinking how I almost took the bait,

I glare at lady love

Cursing her for this cruel fate

When love riots

and our hearts stay quiet,

When our words are air

and they fly away without a care,

When people turn back the clock

and all that we’ve strived for is lost,

When we lose the sight within our eyes

and the mercy within our souls go blind,

When we lose to our final fears

and the last of our courage disappears,

When humanity takes the fall

one soul will save us all,

Your soul will set people free,

You will erase this misery,

Your soul will bring light to our eyes,

Yes, your soul will break through the dark skies

When love riots

and our hearts are quiet,

Your soul will remind us all

of the love to which we have to fall.

A facade of smoke,

covers the truth

of a blood-red sun’s

actions, uncouth

The sun’s red light

fades, after days so long

its blood-red color

sings a sorrowful song

A song full of grief

for a long lost love

sung with regret

like a single, lone dove

Its past comes to light

under its blood-red glow

a past full of love,

like a painful blow

A love, a song

a life never done

a life colored red

under the blood-red sun

Each step determines your fate

by the time you look down it’s already too late

the clock is ticking you must choose your way

but one wrong move could number your days

Your head screams, “Danger!”

but you’ve got nowhere to hide

you’re trapped in a minefield

where fear and mind collide

But in this field your fate’s up to you

to win or to lose, which will you choose

to win, to have done all you could do

or to lose, to give up without seeing things through

For most this is a place without any hope

but some people are willing to learn how to cope

before them a path will soon become clear

and it will guide them away from the fear