I woke in night

beside you

only to find

you were gone

just like I have known since the day

they arrived at my doorstep

Once awake

I leave this home with only the drafts you left behind

To wake my sleeping soul

I drive down the road

fast

I’ll find somebody again

maybe

I just need to stay awake

until I am awaken...

“So, this morning when you woke up and read my text that said ‘hey can you pick me up today’ you thought I meant literally pick me up?” I ask.

“Well yeah,” Jackson finally sets me down on the ground.

“You didn’t think I meant pick me up in your car because I’m out of gas?” I straighten out my hair. “You can at east drive me to school now, right?”

“I’m out of gas,” he shrugs. “Get somebody to pick ...

“I have held many things in my hand, and I have lost them all. I held my mother so tight as a child, and lost her at the hands of my father. I held onto my father and his riches, until that two was lost at the hands of my father. He ended his life when he lost his own riches which he held onto tightly. I held onto you, as the only person left in my life! And you want to leave me!” I screech at my ...

I open the box slowly and the rust covered hinges creak like the floors in a horror movie. The curved lid requires the wall to be propped against so I scoot the chest farther back on the floor. It’s been ages since I’ve touched the dust contents of the chest. I reach my hand into the dimly lit box and pull out a ball. I toss it between both hands as the dust fall off the smooth rubber surface reve...

I never know when to sleep. Should I sleep late into the morning because that’s what seems normal for my age? Should I wake up and rush around before the sun like most of my family. Should I go to bed in the morning and not wake up until night again?

I could become completely nocturnal and I don’t think it would change my life much. Sure, school would be really hard to do if I was sleeping all da...

“Cookie, bread, or pizza?” asks the waiter.

“Don’t you have veggies,” I reply.

“Cookies, bread, and pizza are all vegetarian, Anne. Don’t be a snob,” hissed Louisa.

“We can do the bread without crust?” chimed in the waiter.

I hate this city. I swear every restaurant serves bread as their main course. I love bread, I do, but I can’t just eat bread all the time. You are what you eat, you know? While...

Notes ring in my ears as I leave the theater. Just one more week of this. I don’t even have to do any of the singing, it’s just watching these kiddos mess up over and over and over.

“Ms. Margret!!!!!!” somebody screeches behind me. I turn around sighing and my close escape. These kids are just energy energy all around, aren’t they?

“Yes, sweetly” I smile. Or try too.

“What wrong with your face?” ...

It came to me like snails come a garden:

ready to consume.

It swallowed me up like a wave full of salt,

burning and brushing.

It torn me in two like the plates of the earth when they tear down houses.

It broke me.

Truly

Shatter my soul into two halves.

The half that nobody will ever touch again,

and the half that you keep locked away.

It’s hidden in the dark wooden desk draw.

You can feel it ...

I don’t really go to parties. I’ve been to a party before, like, a really small party. But I don’t party. That’s why it took Melissa over two weeks to convince me to go to the end of the year senior party. Almost everybody in my grade is here at Blake’s house.

Now, let me be honest, Melissa’s constant nagging isn’t the only reason I’m here. I overheard in English class that Berkeley would be here....

I’ll never leave you,

as long as you never leave me.

You’ll never leave me, right?

Why would you want to?

I can give you everything you need.

Just stay there, right there,

and I’ll bring you the sun.

Now, you see, I went all this way

just for you to have exactly what you want.

You treat me so unfairly

with nothing to give me in return.

You’re so ungrateful.

Take your sun,

let it burn your fac...