There was a time not too long ago that I thought I might make an attempt to get myself published. I have a number of little pieces that I thought I might take to a professor of creative writing at my university, and perhaps see where they might go. But first, I took them to one of my dearest friends, who majors in literature and has had a number of classes with this illustrious gentleman. She looked through my writing, pronounced it interesting, and asked if she might copy it over to another document on my laptop and make some alterations.

Sunkist smile
Orange mouth, tongue
Dimples dive deep
Into your cheeks
When I joke about the
Length
Of your limbs
To which
You unfurl with a shrug
And with rhapsodic wit
Slingshot quips with the rhythm
Of a drum.

I guess the whole thing happened pretty fast, you know? The thing is, I predicted something else. I thought I went through all the logical steps. I figured worst case, the consequences would be isolated. And oh, I couldn't help it. I want to blame everything else, but there's no escaping the fact that about half of it is my fault. Maybe a little less. I don't know. I'm confused and angry and pretty embarrassed, but mostly I wish I could imagine myself acting differently. I suppose I will have to be less impulsive the next time I start a war.

"Do you love me?"

"Why do you ask?"

He tickled her.

"Stop it. You're silly. Do you?"

"Of course. You know I do."

"I just like to make sure you still do."

"Why would I ever stop?"

She chewed on the inside of her lip before responding.

"What if...I become ugly or sick?"

"I didn't marry you for your good looks, dearest, and I didn't marry you for your health. I married you for your heart and soul."

"What if we can't have children?"

Dad left.

A flag came back.

At first I did not understand why everyone was crying. I saw Daddy fast asleep in his uniform, like he always was when he came home from the grocery store. Of course, back then, he would be in his jeans and red polo shirt. He used to kick off his heavy shoes and collapse on the couch and fall fast asleep. I would lie down on his chest and his arm would surround me, all warm and safe. He would not even open his eyes. Then he would wake bright eyed and ready to play. He loved me, I could tell.

A dozen golden promises bloom,
A promise from our mother's womb,
The mother goddess that lies within,
That've heard all wishes that's ever been.
A thousand seeds disperse on the wind,
A thousand messengers for one wish,
When they flutter down weighted by dreams,
And grab hold of sun-soaked earth, and it seems,
As though certainly I shall get my desires,
Yet can this be done by such fluffy flowers?
Has the earth unbound my path for a time,
For such a simple wish as mine?
Or could it be,
the power rests in me,

*A/N* It might be beneficial to read the note at the bottom first to understand the context of this paper!

Attention

Poised at the precipice
of surreality
and dreams
it's like those mumbo-jumbo
hazy hallucination
paintings
with clouds curling
out of nostrils
and grass
teeming with
debris--
pantomiming
symbols of
a forged
reality
But at the same time it's
artistic it is
also
literary
evocative
of all the
nostalgic
childhood
memories
a chapter-ending
with a clap
of covers
and a hand
reaching for a fresh tale
that will
take

I watch my minutes fly
Like they're running away from me
Can't hold them down
Can't stop smiling
Witty words and silly ways to move
Music a little too discordant to dance to
Properly
If we knew how to dance properly
Or at all.
Your eyes twinkle and watch my reaction
While words spill that could be misunderstood
Hold no words that might trip
from your tongue my friend
I know you mean nothing but a laugh
I know that laughter is your companion
As is mine.

“Dad, how did Faolan ever seem good?” Raelyn asked one night as they were eating dinner.
“How does he, you mean,” Ahearn said. “Most of Cathonys somehow sides with him.”
“I can’t speak for all of Cathonys,” Nigel said. “Especially now that our kingdom is in shambles because of what Faolan has done.”
“Lately people have been saying that the hardships we’re facing are because of the old laws and very soon Faolan’s laws will start paying off and Cathonys will be prosperous again,” Fagan said.