It’s 9:10 PM
I should be asleep
but unfortunately, I just can’t
I can hear my brother’s voice through my door
And can also hear my father’s voice propel back at it
While the weeps of my mother’s voice are in between
This is not new to me
So, I did what I always did when this scenario occurred
And that is by playing guitar
With this idea in mind, I get up from my bed
Grabbed my guitar that was next to my closet
Plugged it into my amp
and put my headphones on
Now I just need a song in mind
Something loud
Something distracting
“Maybe some title fight” I said
With my pick in my hand I play the first chord
And the guitar played the rest
As time past and the song coming to the end
The voices of my mother and father went away
“They probably went back to bed” I thought
But I still heard my brother mumbles
His footsteps turned into stomps that then stopped
And I herd a door slam shut that came from his room
“Jeez what the heck he was saying back there” I thought
My headphones went back into my ears to block his mumbling
And I went back into finishing the song before I go to bed
Time passes
When I strummed my guitar for the last time
I take my headphones off
Unplug my guitar from the amp
And put the guitar away
But then I heard a big thud echoed through my door
Slowly I opened my door and looked through the hallway
As my door opens wider and wider
I start hearing something
Not voices
Not mumbles
Just a song
In fact it was the same song I just played on guitar
The song was coming from my brothers room
As I walked to his room the song got louder and louder
I knew it was coming from his record player since he had a vinyl collection at the time
I slowly open his door
But then time stopped for a minute
His room was dark
Title fight was playing on the record player
Their was chair that seemed to be knocked into the ground
And I saw two feet swinging in the air
I took one step forward
Looked up
And then I saw my mumbling brother
With his head in the ceiling fan

Putting your trust in someone
Is like giving them a sword and a shield
They’ll either stab you with the sword
Or use the sword for your protection

And when it comes to the shield
They’ll either protect themselves against you
Or take the shield and protect you along side them

So choose who you trust wisely
Because trust is a powerful weapon that can be used against you if placed in the wrong hands

I used to have a camera back then
A polaroid camera
It was a small, aqua blue camera that also had a camera bag
And during the last day of school in 8th grade
I brought it to take pictures with my friends
I didn’t want to be in the photos though
Just want to create memories with every flash sound that came from the camera
All my friends will do silly poses as I count
3
2
1
And when I press the button
it will then create a flashback
that my friends can look back on in the future
when time went on other people that were in other friend groups would ask
“Can you take a pic of me and my friends”
And I nod my head signaling yes
I was seen as a photographer that last day of 8th grade
And I loved it
Because every photo
Will create a smile on their faces
That same smile will then appear again when they take that pic home with them
Who knows what they will do with the picture
Put on the wall
Put it in a time capsule
Or maybe in a drawer filled with *******
But I know that one day
They’ll look back at it in a couple of years
And a flashback will flow into their head
It will make them feel as if they went back in time
and see their younger self with a silly pose
with their friends around them as I count to
1

If a flower can survive bone chilling winters that turn their leaves into icicles
Groundbreaking floods that make their petals drench
Hot headed tornadoes releasing their wrath upon where they are rooted
Hazard hurricanes shaking their stem until it almost snaps in half
And the glaring sun that beams heatwaves so hot it’ll toast the pollen that was stored within
So, if a flower can survive all those dreadful moments
And still find a way to grow from those experiences
Continuing to blossom like they once did before
Then I don’t see why you can’t too


For it is time for you to blossom