[this has been redacted for possible publication. I will repost if it doesn't get into the college lit mag.]

A few years ago, I had a radical meeting with Jesus which ended in a marriage proposal. It was achingly beautiful, and wholly moving. I could not resist the tug on my heart or the meaning of His words whispered into the depths of my spirit. "Be my bride my beloved, I will love you no matter what." I said yes of course, tears flowing down my face. I was in complete disbelief, but from the deepest part of my soul, I wanted what He offered. The next day I woke up, looked down at my ring, and realized wow, that really happened! Now I’m married!

IF YOU HAVEN'T READ EITHER GREATER LOVE OR A STRONG FAITH THEN DONT READ THIS UNTIL YOU HAVE. :D

Chapter Nine

AS CAD AND IRIS RETURNED TO THE CAMP, Alaric was, of course, running around in a circle like a rooster with a missing head. As soon as he saw the two come out of the trees, Alaric ran up to them, hugged Iris close to him and glared at Cad.

“What were you two doing in there? Answer me!” He demanded.

Cad began, “I—”

“Cad was only teaching me how to shoot properly, and in turn I taught him which herbs were the best for headaches and cuts.”
Alaric scoffed and shook his head. “And why would a healer need to know how to shoot an arrow?”

I. Regress
I wanted her to turn around
So I could see her face
Confirm in real life
My biggest suspicion
That she was as pretty as she looked
In his pictures
I had met her once, before all of this
She was pretty then, but I hadn’t paid this much attention
I recognized her by her red-gold hair
Neatly curled and tapering down near her waist
Her voice was sweet and smart
I wanted her to turn around
But then she followed him out the door.

Did you know a Shadow can have shadow?

I do.

I found that at 9:40 pm.

While being shone on by the Moon.

I held up my hand, and placed it on the door.

And instead of finding one shadow, I found instead four!

My finger moved up one

The Shadows followed soon

Then down left and up right

Those Shadows followed too!

When the door was finally opened, the Shadows have finally left

And I crept up the stairs into my bed.

And I see the Moon's light from the window

The shadows bobbed, to and fro.

1. Freckles
you have a lot of freckles
i had never been close enough to notice
they all kind of join together
i like them

2. Oops
i thought i was over you
seriously, this time
but she said you were cute
and i wanted to claw her eyes out
oops
here we go again

3. Well Okay
letting go
is harder
than i thought

4. Oh Well
i can miss you
with all my might
but you won’t
miss me back
it’s okay
no big deal
i’ll keep missing you anyway

1. Eternity
If I’m to live forever
I should pray that you will, too
Because, dear God, I wouldn’t want to live
Without, my darling, you

2. It Was a Bad Day
Maybe all these big girl dreams aren’t for me after all
Maybe I wasn’t born to go to college and get married
Maybe I wasn’t made for the usual course
Maybe I was born with wild eyes
Maybe I was born for the road.

1. Inward Chaos
You make me a quiet kind of crazy
Send me into internal turmoil
I don’t think you know
But if you do, you’re good at hiding it

2. Head Over Heels
I’m enraptured by every part of you
They say eyes are a reflection of a person’s soul
If that’s the case, yours is beautiful
I’ve never met someone like you
I don’t think I will again.

1. Summer Wine
My dreams still taste like summer and wine
Vivid flashes of sunsets and freedom
I looked out into the horizon and remembered
The words you whispered in my ear too many years ago
And I smiled.

2. On the Horizon
Vivid wild taste of freedom
Open my eyes to a never ending horizon
If this is what the future looks like
I can’t get there fast enough

3. Bliss
You make me forget
Who I am
And who I want to be
I’m someone else entirely
I think I might like it