Deep breath in.

Hold it.

Deep breath out.

Just keep breathing to stop the tears.

Don’t let them see you cry.

You look down at your young daughter and smile. She can’t know how much pain you’re in. It’ll destroy her. You keep one hand pressed to your wound and raise the other to your little girl’s face. She leans into it, crying.

You feel the tears well up once more, so you force yourself...

She was the girl who always made time for me, even if she had a boyfriend. She was the girl I always saw in my future.

She was the reason none of my other relationships ever worked out. She was the girl I was in love with.

In a rare moment of bravery, I kissed the top of her head, getting a whiff of her sweet-smelling hair. She adjusted to look up to me and I found myself getting lost in the da...

I met her when I was five and she decided that I would be her best friend when we were in kindergarten. She had the ability to easily fill up the room with her effervescent energy. I, on the other hand, was quieter than most and needed her to help me make new friends.

When we were eight, we promised that we would marry each other if neither of us was in a relationship when we were thirty. It seem...

“Tell it again, Grandpa! Please tell us!”

The children gathered at their grandfather’s feet as he sat in his rocking chair. He had just finished telling them the tale of the adventures of his youth. They, in disbelief needed to hear it in its entirety once more to truly understand the magnitude of it.

He heaved a great sigh, but with a twinkle in his eye, scooped his youngest granddaughter on h...

The birds crow a weeping melody,

trees clean of leaves.

The squirrels are silent in mourning,

no nuts to be found.

The clouds no longer weep every afternoon,

nourishing the flora on earth.

The wind is transformed from sluggish and lazy,

it now whips around in fury.

Fall has now disappeared,

his sister taking his place....

Crap. Crapcrapcrapcrapcrap.

I don’t want to do this. Why do we have to do these all the time? Let me check my watch-wow impressive. 127 heart rate. I’ve gone higher before.

Okay, focus. Stay calm, deep breaths. In and out, in and out. I’ve done this before, I’ve been great. Even if I mess up it’ll still probably be better than other people’s.

You can do this Joc. You’ve got this.

I don’t want ...

Entire universes contained within my mind,

Looking to me for guidance.

Full of mystery and magic,

They lure me from reality.

Never bored,

But always distracted from those around me.

Reading and writing were always my things,

But trying to focus on math and science

When I had worlds of interesting things

Was torture.

Daydreaming is my favorite thing,

Yet those around me think

I’m w...

Single,

     Confused,

                     Talking, 

                               Dating,

                                        In love.

                                        In love,

                               Dating,

                     Talking,

      Confused,

Single...

Jessica was sitting at one of the most awkward dinners she had ever been at. She sat across the table from Dean, who was equally as uncomfortable.

Their oblivious mutual friend sat at the end of the table, chatting away. Diane was trying to set them up, saying that they would just be so cute together, yada yada.

It might have been a good idea, but Diane didn’t know that Jessica and Dean were swo...

The world is upside down.

No one enjoys school anymore,

I’m not in a relationship now,

I don’t have a friend group now.

The world is upside down.

I drift through life,

Only stopping here and there.

People don’t want to learn about my hobbies,

Crocheting, hunting, reading.

Everyone has their own interests.

The world is upside down.

Or is it that I’m upside down?...