The air is different here— unspoiled, relaxed with a festive undertone that conveys unity and camaraderie. It’s exactly what I need to forget the bickering of a belligerent boss. This beach, with its warm white sand that shifts underneath my feet, keeps the noise at my back and the light to my face. Playful breeze ...

Each moment I held you in my arms was more fleeting than a rose petal’s beauty as it falls to the ground to die.  The taste of your lips, sweet as Coca-Cola, lingers like burnt sugar.  I beheld our summer days that in my youth I prayed would endure forever.  I tried so hard to pretend we could be immortal and live like kings and queens.  Every kingdom must crumble, but our story will forever live ...

It’s easy to lose yourself Within the forest of memory When you can’t find the sunlight Through the canopies of your past.  Leaves sway in the bitter wind Crying out for solace. For light.  Warning you of the dangers That lurk in the shadows.   But you can already feel the claws:  Vicious, twisted things Born of trauma and despair, And living deep within your mind.  They reach from the darkness  With doubt, shame, ...

When I think of you,I imagine our serenityas paradise on earth. I remember every momentengraved among the scarsof my beating heart. I see fireflies around us,our only light, save the stars. It may have been worthless to youundeserving of a second thought,but not to me. You have decidedwhere our storymust end. Cinderella would have believed itas ...

The tree that once lost all its leaves,Held on and was patient for a while,Because it knew the ugly season would pass.It knew those leaves would bloom again,And that all would become new. Editor: Erynn Crittenden

When I first met you,I believed you were from God,bringing the light into my eyes,skip to my step;it was perfect. The time dragged onward;our love never faded,or agedas the sunrays danced,along our skin. A saying passes for wisdomamong the unititiated: “If you are not careful,you can have too muchof a good thing.” The moment you leftwoke ...

When it feels like good isn’t enough, And they scream for more effort and grit, Take a deep breath and smile, Because they don’t have it figured out, either. Editor: Erynn Crittenden

I am the schoolgirl in the playground,begging someone to play with me,only to have my bag decorated with spit.Treated like an outcast. I am the girl you see in a crowd,with no friend in sight,loneliness her companion.The world passing her by. I am the girl you think a weirdo,a freak of nature cloaked in costumes,trying ...

There is a time and place for everything in life. The time will come to break the rules that say dinner must come first. Work must come first. Fun must come later. The sweet things in life must wait. When the time comes, we must break these made-up rules without hesitation. In our house, we ...

The birds are singing a new song. It’s strange, but pleasing to my ears. The birds are singing a new song. It’s loud, yet brings a calmness to my soul. Editor: Erynn Crittenden