where is your happy place
       not the one out in the world, the one in your head

do you imagine beaches, forests, mountains
       or something else altogether in that little space

that no one else can invade, the place safe 
       from everyone in the world, including yourself 

or do you imagine something different,
       something secret, not to be described in words on the page

i wish i could show you mine
       through a window to my thoughts

but instead i will let you wonder where
       it is, and try to let your mind take you there yourself

I hope you enjoyed this piece! It’s interesting to reflect on what your happy place really is, or at least what you think it is/the idea of it. Please let me know if you have any feedback or writing challenges you’d like to share. Stay safe and healthy out there!

Brooke

i never thought you would be an ending
someone that i had to cut loose and

tie up in my mind so i wouldn't think about
you anymore. and once we had our ending,

i never thought i would miss you this much
and want to reminisce on our beginning

like an old, forgotten pair of shoes from some
special event that you just want to walk

around in again and wear one last time before
sending them off to the donation bin

i'm sorry it had to be this way and i wish i 
wasn't sitting here comparing us to shoes

but we've come to an end, and i need to tighten
up before i come undone and let you in again

I hope you enjoyed this piece! As a side note, I’m honestly not sure what the featured image for this post is (I get all my pictures from unsplash.com, they are not mine!). I just thought it looked interesting and that the vibe fit with this poem. Please feel free to share any feedback or writing challenges you may have and want me to consider. Stay safe and healthy out there!

Brooke

there's a place we can go
to ride our bikes or take a hike
up in these hills the possibilities
feel endless and there's not

another soul in the world 
they're greener this year, rolling
with grass. i think they only get
more and more beautiful

i'll take you there and we can
talk about our dreams until
the sun sets and the sky turns black
we can be free up in these hills

I hope you enjoyed this piece! I would love to go to a place like the one I described 🙂 Also, since I forgot to say it before, happy July everyone! I can’t believe how fast time is flying. Stay safe and healthy out there. Please feel free to share any feedback or writing challenges you’d like me to try out in the future in the comments!

Brooke

what are the odds that you and i become 
a we or an us

what are the odds that you'll tell me if
that's what you want
that we'll be honest with each other for
once instead of dancing around
what we already have and wondering
if it's ever going to be something more

what are the odds that i'll be the one
to speak my mind
to tell you how i feel and make the 
first move because i can't control
your actions but i can sure control
mine

what are the odds that we do this
together, that we move forward and 
take on the world hand in hand

I hope you enjoyed this piece! I know it was kinda cheesy but I hope it was still a fun read– it was fun for me to write. Please let me know if you have any feedback on this piece or any writing challenges you’d like me to try out in the near future. Stay safe and healthy.

Brooke

land i've never seen
open roads i've never driven on
the sky is our blanket
and the stars sing goodnight

the grasses sway in greeting
when the morning sun rises
the sky is now watercolored
and the dew melts into our feet

trees i've never climbed
offer up their fruits for our
labors in keeping them company
and the leaves shield us in the heat

I hope you enjoyed this piece! I know it was a short one. It’s inspired by my current rereading of the Little House on the Prairie books, and an ode to one of the (many) lifestyles I used to think were super cool when I was younger. I now see many issues with the series, don’t get me wrong, but it’s nice to reminisce on childhood. Please let me know if you have any feedback on this piece or writing challenges you’d like me to try out in the near future. Stay safe and healthy.

Brooke

2, 4, 14, 24
numbers that mean something to me, 
most of them not for any particular reason

i prefer evens to odds-- i always have
and you're about as even as it gets

if i had to attach a number to you, it would
be 14. maybe that's part of the reason why
i was first drawn to you. i can't explain
why i have to quantify everything with 
numbers, i just do.

i find a number to describe everyone
it's a good thing you're even and not 
odd.

I hope you enjoyed this piece! It was something a little odd that just popped into my head, and although I don’t actually describe everything/people with numbers, I really do prefer even to odd numbers 🙂 Please let me know if you have any feedback on this piece or writing challenges you’d like me to try out in the future. Stay safe and healthy.

Brooke

yellow sheet on the ground
right next to the chinaberry tree
thrown aside in the heat of the moment
running away from history
sobbing and balled up on the ground
full off of nasty-looking, good tasting
catfish and fries
I couldn't breathe
so I laid there and waited

I hope you enjoyed this poem! The reason it’s so short is it was actually a little challenge using page 85 of Kiese Laymon’s Long Division. I took some portions of sentences from that page of the book and added in/edited a couple things to make this poem. Please let me know if you have any feedback on this piece or any writing challenges you’d like me to try out in the near future. Stay safe and healthy.

Brooke