We quickly learned what it was like
to truly run out of options, carefully
walking in circles, retracing old steps
as if something-- or someone-- new
would materialize. The sun poured
through our windows but didn't warm
our bodies and no object was left
unturned. All the books reread, papers
refiled, clothes and trinkets reorganized
in different drawers, shows on the Netflix
queue watched; we wait for change.
Still waiting, we realized it all has already
changed-- who thought we would be here,
one year later? We may be living
through history, but each day only comes
into focus as it passes. We may need
many more years to decipher all their
meanings.

I hope you enjoyed this piece! As we enter the month of March (which is so crazy to say), the realization that all of the chaos in our world has been going on for a full year is daunting. I hope you all are doing well, and that much better things are to come. Feel free to leave feedback and writing challenges in the comments, as always. Stay safe and healthy out there.

Brooke

New places, new faces, choices
we've never had await us 
all of a sudden and now
we are at a halt because I
have never been the best
at making a decision. If only
you could tell me what to do
and I would listen; 
I have never trusted anyone
more and yet it is not (ever)
enough. If you knew the right
thing to do, I can only hope
you won't tell me. I just told you
I won't listen. I'll keep you guessing
until we each make our own
turns. If we are lucky, we will see
each other at the end.

I hope you enjoyed this piece! It seems more ominous than it really is… although I guess it is quite a bit ominous in reality as well. As a second-semester junior in high school, senior year and college applications are looming (and not so faraway anymore)! Therefore, lots of tension and angst surrounding me and the rest of the people in my grade as we try to figure our (current) goals out. As always, feel free to leave feedback and writing challenges in the comments. Stay safe and healthy out there.

Brooke

I sit in the garden, admiring the flowers,
sniffing my favorites as I would any day--

there's no shame in going it alone. 
Nature doesn't judge, and with a companion

I might not notice just how crisp the air
is today, mingling on the tip of my tongue

as I sign in contentment. The book in my hand
tells a story of love, another story I cannot

relate to, nothing to compare it with. 
Yes, many say life imitates art, but here

I sit and I read and I'm alone and I'm more
than okay with that.

I hope you enjoyed this piece! Happy Valentine’s Day to you all 🙂 I wrote this to show that if you’re alone today and feeling sad about it, you’re not actually alone, but you should take the time to enjoy yourself. It’s somewhat cliché, but you can definitely be your own valentine. Embrace it– you won’t be alone forever, unless you want to be! Please feel free to leave feedback and writing challenges in the comments. Stay safe and healthy out there.

Brooke

When the clouds roll in
and the grey skies envelop
the day, we run for cover.
I look up, embrace the water
falling at my feet, the fabric
of my clothes, my hair--
who cares about getting
drenched when it happens
so rarely? They don't want
the rain to fall on them, 
the droplets getting heavier
as more and more pool
on every surface. 
But from the clouds, 
for a time, each drop
is flying, airborne until 
the ground nears. Maybe
we are the unpleasant force
ourselves.

I hope you enjoyed this piece! It was inspired by the rainy days we’ve been having here in southern California. As I’m writing this, it is a beautifully grey day and the rain has just started to dry up. I can’t believe January already came and went– I hope all of your winters have been lovely and rain-filled (if you like the rain as much as I do, that is). Please feel free to leave feedback and writing challenges in the comments. Stay safe and healthy out there!

Brooke