There are many things that don't stop
when you ask them to, and tears are 
one of them.

They flood the streets, leaving me 
stranded with my emotions and too
much time to think about them.

I'll watch them carry away what
I took for granted as stable, 
nothing left behind or visible.

Sound the alarm, get to high ground--
there's no guarantee when the 
waters will calm again.

I hope you enjoyed this piece! I know I said I’d try to have some longer poems in the works but I struggle to finish them…I’d love to hear your thoughts on that and possible prompts/challenges/inspiration in the comments. Stay safe and healthy out there!

Brooke

it's hot and humid but I can't help wanting 
to curl up under blankets and watch movies
and drink hot chocolate; nothing's guaranteed
and we're stuck inside, so why don't we pretend
it's winter and wait for the snow that won't fall?
I'm ready for lights and tree-scented candles
and cable-knit sweaters we'll replace with hoodies
and sweatpants and we settle into this comfort
even more. there's making ourselves comfortable,
and there's the fact that i'm comforted by you.

I hope you enjoyed this piece! I’m honestly ready for winter and the holidays– if we have to be inside and quarantined, I want to have that coziness! Winter’s my favorite season 🙂 Please feel free to leave feedback and writing challenges in the comments. Stay safe and healthy out there.

Brooke

I want to learn alongside you about places
far from here, what colors the sky turns 
on the other side of the globe 
(are they the same as the colors we see here?)
how deep is the ocean really, and what
lurks beneath the waters in the places
unmapped and unknown to man
what local delicacies lie in markets waiting to be
discovered by our watering mouths
let's go visit and find out for ourselves

I hope you enjoyed this piece! There’s so much we don’t know about the world…there’s even so much we don’t know about ourselves. I’m the kind of person who wants to absorb as much knowledge as I can, and there’s so many questions like this that I ponder. Please feel free to share feedback and writing challenges in the comments. Stay safe and healthy out there.

Brooke

I am in the countryside, sipping on a cold drink
on the patio and surveying the trees. The sky is
brighter here no matter what time of day, 
and I can run through the hills if I want to.

You should come visit someday, and we can grow
grapes and make it a vineyard. The deep reds and 
light greens will add more color to the land,
and people will come from faraway to see our

selection. We'll build an addition to the house, 
and keep building our country life. Until we have
built enough and move further into the country,
where no one can find us.

I hope you enjoyed this piece! It’s wishful thinking to consider being able to travel soon, but that’s exactly why it’s been on my mind as something to write about. I don’t completely love the ending of this poem, but I couldn’t think of a different direction to take it in. Maybe I’ll go back and change it soon… we’ll see. Please feel free to leave feedback and writing challenges in the comments! Stay safe and healthy out there.

Brooke

Walt Whitman once said The President is there in 
the White House for you, but what would he say
if he were alive today? America, you are failing us.
Live up to your name, bring weight back to the heavy
paper we have idealized for so long. 
Red for the blood in the streets, the people leaving us
forever. White for the only race that has full respect
in all of this country. Blue for the people that promise
to protect us, pledging allegiance to a corrupt system.

I hope you enjoyed this piece! It’s definitely political, but hopefully you can respect my opinion 🙂 As you can tell from the poem itself, I was inspired by Walt Whitman. I’ve been slowly reading Leaves of Grass the past week or so, and I couldn’t even contain myself when I read that line. Please feel free to leave feedback and writing challenges in the comments. Stay safe and healthy out there.

Brooke

Summer tingles on our tongues, waving
goodbye along with the tides. The pressure 
of the last sunset melts when the colors 
blend vibrantly one last time-- purple pink
yellow orange all into deep, deep blue and
black of night. 
Just like that, things will end. The days in
the pool over, the sun not shining as brightly
anymore. Nature seems to know the rhythm
of our world.

I hope you enjoyed this piece! Summer’s not over just yet for me, but there’s barely a taste left (about one week!), so this was fitting. Even though I’m writing this in advance, on the day this goes up it will be my birthday the next day, so there’s room for one more celebration. 🙂 Please feel free to share feedback and writing challenges in the comments. Stay safe and healthy out there.

Brooke