creative writing

When Fall Doesn’t Come – Poem by Me

BrookeLeave a comment 
Here in California the chilling wind
doesn't come; autumn heat lingers

until after the Christmas lights are 
hung up. Leaves may turn shades

of golden and fall from the trees, 
but the sun continues to shine and 

you often can't wear a sweater or
hold a hot drink. You'll continue 

melting, waiting for the leaves to turn,
until you realize they already have.

Fall doesn't always come.

I hope you enjoyed this piece! I’m excited for winter, but here in California fall never really feels like anything. It just represents back to school and waiting for winter to actually come. I want to live somewhere where all four seasons actually happen 🙂 Please feel free to leave feedback and writing challenges in the comments. Stay safe and healthy out there.

Brooke

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Yellowed Pages – Poem by Me

BrookeLeave a comment 
The one book on the shelf that is much
older than the rest-- yes, that one--how 
yellowed are its pages now? Crisp, clean
books fresh from the presses sometimes
already have that yellow coloring, but
there's no substitute to time and how
it crinkles paper. The dusty scent that
spreads through your nostrils and makes
you cough as you flip through the pages--
yes, that smell-- can only ripen with age,
old age.

I hope you enjoyed this short little poem! It was inspired by my bookshelf in my room, which has mostly new books on it, but a copy of The Catcher in the Rye from my mom’s high school days that is bent out of shape and very, very yellowed. Please feel free to leave feedback and writing challenges in the comments. Stay safe and healthy out there.

Brooke

Missed Opportunities – Poem by Me

BrookeLeave a comment 
We look at missed opportunities in the form
of forks in the road and plane tickets never
booked, but what about the ones under our
noses? 

The meals never made with the 
ingredients in the fridge, the conversations
never had even though they were acted out
so many times in one's head, the outfits
never worn that remained on vision boards
and magazine spreads. 

We continue on, missing what is beside us,
in front of us, or passing by as we walk to
work and school and everything in between.
At least acknowledge what you're missing.

I hope you enjoyed this poem! I try to take advantage of all the opportunities granted to me, and although it can be overwhelming taking on larger opportunities such as activities and jobs and such, there are so many little ones that are just fun experiences waiting to be had. Please feel free to leave feedback and writing challenges in the comments. Stay safe and healthy out there.

Brooke

Color-Coded Candy – Poem by Me

BrookeLeave a comment 
let's sit in the kitchen and organize all
the candy we've collected in the cupboards,

even if half of it's expired. we can unwrap
each chocolate bar so they'll all melt into

puddles, slightly different shades of brown.
we'll never want to eat sugar again, like

our half-baked version of Halloween when
we ate each piece and the bottoms of our

pillowcases-turned-trick-or-treating bags
were littered with the colorful wrappers,

not color-coded at all. 
let's keep it simple and make it harder on

ourselves, once more.

I hope you enjoyed this poem! It was kind of inspired by the fact that Halloween’s really not that faraway at this point. Before we know it, the holiday season will be upon us! Please feel free to leave feedback and writing challenges in the comments. Stay safe and healthy out there.

Brooke

Locked From the Inside – Poem by Me

BrookeLeave a comment 
Why did I trap myself here in this room
and why do I have the audacity to ask 
myself questions I already know 
the answers to? I tire of the tasks I force
myself to do, yet I could not live without
this stressful hum of the day's routine.
Please relieve me, please force me 
to do something different-- or don't,
because maybe this unhappiness is how
I find joy.

I hope you enjoyed this short piece! It’s kind of based on the idea that I (and many other people) tend to make things harder for myself. I’m extremely busy at the moment and have put a lot of pressure on myself to be doing so many things at once, yet I still never feel like I’m doing enough and attempt to add new things to my plate. So it goes! Please feel free to leave feedback and writing challenges in the comments. Stay safe and healthy out there.

Brooke

Silver Star – Poem by Me

BrookeLeave a comment 
This silver star won't explode on my
watch; she is deflated but not a quitter.
It hurts to not be considered as new and
shiny as the golden ones, but it has always
been that way. We shine different colors,
just like we cry uniquely shaped tears 
that trail down our faces in different
paths, until the worn wrinkles guide
them naturally.

I hope you enjoyed this short piece! It was actually inspired by a star balloon my friend got me for my birthday. It’s silver and lasted way longer before getting all deflated and droopy than the gold balloons my parents got me did. That being said, balloons are beautiful and fun in general, in a different way than stars. Feel free to leave feedback and writing challenges in the comments. Stay safe and healthy out there.

Brooke

P.S. I Still Think About You – Poem by Me

BrookeLeave a comment 
I write you letters in my head once
a year, maybe more, but the only
ones I actually send are to wish you
a happy birthday.

You always had more friends than me,
a more vibrant life (and I was amazed)
so I'm sure my words just blend into
the background.

It's easy to remember glimpses of 
good times: hours spent trying on sparkly
outfits in shopping malls, countless 
Goldfish crackers eaten during late-night
conversations on my trundle bed, 
belting out the lyrics to Taylor Swift 
songs, just to name a few.

It's harder to remember how we became
friends, and how we aren't friends 
anymore. 

Don't worry, I won't pick up the phone 
and ask.

I hope you guys enjoyed this piece! A lovely reader challenged me to write a poem to my ex-best friend. There’s honestly no hard feelings between me and the person who inspired this poem (honestly, a couple people did), just normal growing up and drifting apart happened. It often does work out like that. Please feel free to leave feedback and writing challenges in the comments. Stay safe and healthy out there.

Brooke

Closed Doors Never Open – Poem by Me

BrookeLeave a comment 
I know we like to play this game 
of who can slam more doors, 
who can do it louder and harder,
but don't you ever wish we could
stand together in an open doorway
and have a conversation about 
the weather? 
I've never tried to make this
a competition, but I can't stand
to lose and you never back down
from a challenge you've invented.
Maybe when the sun comes out
we'll go outside, no doors in sight.

I hope you enjoyed this piece! I’ve definitely experienced some tension in some of my personal relationships lately. Quarantine really gets to you and your family when you’re spending so much time together. Please feel free to leave feedback and writing challenges in the comments. Stay safe and healthy out there.

Brooke

Girl Melting – Poem by Me

BrookeLeave a comment 
Watch her melting on the sidewalk, 
her sweat mixing with skin as she

kneels on the concrete, cooling her
hands on the grass. The ice cream

truck comes through the neighborhood,
and the man offers her a popsicle.

The red, sticky sweetness drips 
onto her clothes and stains them.

Now blood is mixing with the sweat.

I hope you enjoyed this piece! I actually haven’t had a popsicle in forever, now that I think about it… maybe next summer. Please feel free to leave feedback and writing challenges in the comments. Stay safe and healthy out there.

Brooke

After the Party – Poem by Me

BrookeLeave a comment 
Candle wicks charred at the bottom
of the trash can, a cake missing a 

large chunk of its body put back
in the fridge, and balloons starting

to droop, no longer brushing against
the ceiling, but awkwardly bobbing

in the center of the room. 
If anyone brought flowers, they'll be

wilting in the morning. Remember how
you feel when you crawl into bed that night.

I hope you enjoyed this piece! It’s reminiscent of birthdays/holidays in general. No matter how good or bad a celebration is, there’s always a weird feeling hanging in the air towards the end of the day. Please feel free to leave feedback and writing challenges in the comments. Stay safe and healthy out there 🙂

Brooke