I feel like a lot of people can relate
to the never-failing love for all the cookies on my plate.

Sweet, delicate, chocolate chip.
I glance at the milk, then take a sip.

Even raisin, sugar, or oatmeal
cause' any kind of cookie is a good deal.

Every cookie, every crumb
these beauties make my heart go numb.

The excitement within me grows and grows
at the pace of the aroma drifting into my nose.

Without realizing, I may have eaten over thirty-one
Any regrets? ha! None.

The fiery red light was staring into my soul.
There was nobody around...
So naturally I hit the gas.

Looked up in that rear view
and some crazy blue lights were ashinin'.
Then came my swerve of shame to the beckoning curb.

My friend to the right kept his cool
While mowing down on two cheese burgers
As he ate, I shook with a casual fear.

The talk with the police was brief
I handed him my license and registration
and he skipped back over to that cop car.

I sat in fear
he ate burgers
we waited

My boy the police came right on back.
he gave me the blissful news.
NO TICKET.

He began the lecture of eating and driving.
that's when my little burger eater chimed right in.
"Sir, I was just handing her a pickle"

I confirmed the statement.
And next thing I knew I was rollin the streets again
Lucked out.

I stuck chickens in my baggy tie dye shirt
nuzzled on the couch, coffee in hand.
I enjoyed a deep conversation with a willow tree
and asked how it felt about the other species.
I slid cookies in the back pocket of my tattered jeans
before biking through the morning air.
I smiled at old Ted in the nursing home
with a wink, he smiled back.
I dribbled the basketball with the strong scent
of campfire coming from my backyard.
I danced in the shower
the warm droplets falling on my skin.
I smoked in the sparkling cove
with strangers that became my friends.
I flew off the high rocks
and submerged into cold crystal waters.
I looked into those faded blue eyes,
and chuckled cause' we do that.
I balanced on the fallen limb
and hopped up onto the beautiful stump.
I giggled with my sisters
cause' we made some really mean jokes.
I ate spaghetti with my friends,
and laughed so hard we choked.
I tumbled over tree roots
got back up and kept on trailin'.
I thanked God for this life
and he said you're welcome.

I watched the mailman go by again.
He's always at it, delivering mail.
It reminded me how the days pass by and
how theres always Thursdays.
The mailman goes by day after day,
shoving mail into box after box.
I watch him.
I watch his technique.
He doesn't know I'm watching,
but then slowly people trickle out of their houses.
To open the previously closed box
and open the previously sealed letter.
One letter may be special.
So lets be thankful for this doorless truck and its driver.
But really its all about the driver
The mailman.

Four Years.
Four years
of high school basketball:
has come to an abrupt halt.

You see, we'd swag into the locker room.
Pump up the tunes.
throw on the black air Jordan jump suits
and whip out the pre-game moves.

The three coaches walked in
We listened to the pre-game speech
Popped a couple altoids to "keep it fresh"
then slugged a bit of water

The warm up commenced
Lay-ups
Three on Two
Shooting

One more locker room run.
Jersy's on!
But right back on to the court
Where the fans anticipate.

Just a few more shots
Now one minute left
Time for the National Anthem.
"Gentlemen remove your hats."

Pre-game nerves suddenly sink in.
"Oh say can you see."
Thoughts about the game fill my mind.
I look at the crowd, and my loving team mates.

"And now for tonights starting line-up."
Names announced.
Team has last minute words
one. two. three. "swag" ....Tip-off!

We were so good.
So athletic.
A team with 8 returning seniors
we were such ballers

Conference Champs
District Champs
But we couldn't beat them
"The best team in the state."

We weren't sad about the loss though.
We were sad that we had to leave this team.
This team that we'd been with for four years.
We loved each other more than anything.

The final moments in the locker room were bittersweet.
Tears of sadness, tears of joy
We accomplished so much, but above all
It was about the memories we made together.

Splashing in the salty foam
I caught sight
of a whale.

Not just any whale
but a humpback whale
and I realized

It's wednesday
****-day
humpback whales swim even on Wednesdays.

Then I realized
it's my birthday
I'm 18

I am an adult
for the first time
in my entire life
& it's gonna be great.

Glistening in the bowl of milk,
I gaze upon circular wheat.
Made of honey and of silk,
My life is now complete

I send 10 spoonfuls down the hatch
slowly dozing off...
Because breakfast? No.
I like cereal as a bedtime snack

We were unknowingly stuck at a broken stoplight as I was watching you dramatically mouth the words to Use Somebody by Kings of Leon. I was cracking up in the passenger seat but all of a sudden the song changes and I'm wondering why the light is still red.

We brush it aside and listen to the next song while paying close attention to the stoplight cycles.

The third song comes on and at this point everyone is aware something is up. We look around for that line up of cars and sure enough.
Cars from behind are turning around and cars in the front of us take the safe right turn instead.

It was funny.

The way all the cars reacted at the same time. As if a plane with a banner was in the sky saying: THIS LIGHT IS NOT FUNCTIONING.

All this to say that sometimes, if not always, humans are secretly on the same wavelength.

I have recently grown to appreciate the Fall
Orange, Red, Yellow
Pumpkins, Leaves, Apple Cider
Makes me happy to be named
Autumn

today my grandma told me something
something I never knew
and something she'd never forget
she told me I was baptized in tie dye socks
tiny little feet
tiny little socks
baptized in tiny little tie dye socks

cigarette smoke
empty balconies
trippy lights
one band
and it can only be crime funk

Abandoned, round, and a beige off-white--
gallivanting along the curb, what a random sight.

One strong gust of wind, and oh Lord!
The yoga ball will shimmy head on with a Ford!

Will it pop, bounce, or cause a heart attack?
I should've snagged it for my future 6-pack.

Thank you, oh rogue yoga ball, that dwell in the street--
for a smile in my soul and this random sight here on the concrete.

Are you like a beached whale
in a cardboard box
with Gandhi
singin'
"Why can't we be friends?!"

My idea of a good morning is at six AM
when two cases of fettuccine alfredo,
captured by the gravity of this planet,
dive for the white speckled tile.
Trying to **** me.
Glass, alfredo, smell of cheap pasta in the air.
I look around
sigh
delicately begin to pick up glass.
Tiny shards make my skin their home.
My leather boots have never encountered such a substance.
Oh fettuccine, sweet fettuccine
I will never consume again.

cracklin' oats
so sweet so round
don't even crackle
they don't make a sound

cracklin oats
I could eat ferdayz
but they should be called granola O's
if people followed my wayz

There's something quirky about Thursdays.
I don't know if it's that they happen once every 7 days,
or if it's because they sneak up on you after every Wednesday.
Or maybe it's because Friday is right after.
Maybe it's because you're supposed to eat tacos and only tacos
And put those three fingers into a bowling ball.
On occasional Wednesday nights it's good to stay up til' Thursday.
Whatever it is about this day: I know one thing.
Make every Thursday memorable.

Trees are wiser.
Trees are stronger.
Trees are most content.

Trees are taller.
Trees live longer.
Trees do not need shelter.

Trees are tougher.
Trees don't complain.
Trees have the most secrets and stories untold.

Trees are rooted deep.
Trees reach the clouds.
Trees provide homes to animals,
and us.

The greatest providers.
Trees are incomprehensible.
Trees have been since the beginning of time.

If you need advice...
Ask a nearby tree.

sittin on the porch
on a broken chair
wondering what the world
is doing way out there
sittin on a porch
on a broken chair
thinking about how every house
should have a porch
sittin on a porch
right after a shower
thinking about how on a porch
I could pass a lot of hours
sittin on a porch
feelin fresh and clean
wonderin why the world
sometimes has to be so mean
sittin on a porch
and I feeeeel
happy hearted
and
full.
of.
Love.

Why do I feel like just a machine?
With the inabilty to think, to hope.... to dream.

Mindless work that covers all of the hours..
I get home, plop on my bed
through a grumpy mind, I feel sour

To use my mind in healthy ways
not stocking shelves or pulling weeds.

Go for a bike ride
read and write some more
to be intentional..
But nope only time to snore.

Dreaming
Controlling
So
Vivid
Cannot
Wake
UP
Cannot
move
my limbs
Paralyzed
from the neck down
Oh wait
It's just
Sleep Paralysis
Relieved

I woke up and my eyes are faucets.
A warm salty faucet.
An everflowing constant stream.

So I filled up my coffee ***
with my brand new faucet.
Sat on the couch and the sink was still running.

Through watery eyes I looked out the window.
A foggy morning.
A thick fog surrounding everything.

It was fitting
My life seems like one big fog
I'm just waiting for it to clear
And the faucet to turn off.

its hilarious when he says it
then I say the same sentence
but the words sound fumbley and dumb
I end up chuckling it off and we laugh about how dumb it was when I said it

so supposedly it's all about the delivery
I guess I'll work at a pizza place then.
oh wait I already did
but I stopped doing that because it wrecked my car
my car said "please no more"

it started with the misfiring
I was like okay lets take you to the shop
so the misfiring stopped and i was like all better now right?
little ham and pineapple to this house, how bout a pepperoni over here
oh and what about some cheezy bread to 455 barry st.

a week later i turned the key and the start up was slow and i could hear the murmurs
"please no more"
I was like come on you are my income
but the tan beast was relentless and finally I took it to the shop again
and quit my job.
now my beastly and tan station wagon is in tip top condition
and I'm going to work on my delivery
of words and jokes and actions and kindness and all good things
but not pizzas
even though pizza is a very good thing
i love you my lovely car please take me on more adventures

The first time I stepped inside the house, there were strangers.
They had grimy faces and leather boots caked in wet mud.
Anxiety was radiating from me.
I was the new member of the tribe in this unknown territory.
I watched them devouring old soggy food.
"You're gonna love it here" One said.
a bit of relief was lifted--
and the strangers became my friends.

The tears on my keyboard
bespeak the pain
that is in my heart

I can't write research papers
about books
I can only read books

and besides
poems.
are the best kind of writing

There sat the pink vitamin water.
It stared right into my anxious mind.
Or rather I stared at it through my anxious mind.
If I drifted my gaze I saw
long blue coats, dreds, hippie outfits, beards galore and three garbage ladies wearing uggs.
Surrounded by strangers.
New faces, yet it doesn't seem shocking.
It was okay after a quick smile from a guy wearing sunglasses
And melting my worries away in the sauna.

I was once told a story
of a kindergartener
who slipped on her face
during class
and shattered all her teeth.
The teacher looked at the teeth
coating the floor
and told her students to
"Pick them up."

I returned from a foreign land
The land of Jesus
Israel.
I had only forgotten one thing
Over the course of two weeks
I forgot I had a blue bathtub
The tub of blue took me offguard
I stared at it for a long time
Then I had to accept the fact.
My bathtub was indeed blue

on the carpet
on the back
hands on the hips
legs in the air
rolling
rolling
rolling
people should roll more often
rolling should be a common activity
like dancing
dancing was made for every human being
I think so
dancing makes people happy
it's weird
but joyful
joooyyyyfuuuull!
back to the carpet
looking at the sloth
the sloth with the american sunglasses
red white and blue
red. white. and
BLUE.
back to the carpet
rolled to the dining hall
where I met with my happy lil crew.
happy lil crew.
everyone needs a happy lil crew

We tried to write creatively
But ended up laughing histerically
We chucked bowling ***** as fast as rockets
But later ended up with quail in our pockets

We trudged (cause we do that)
Tiki torches in hand,
Snowshoeing through snow
Which is the opposite of sand

We took a coffee break, and gave our teacher a phone
A couple days later we visited Dolores in the home
Dolores lost her memory, but her legacy remains
Phoenix road, bethal church, will walk through memory lane

We hopped on roofs, just to pass the time
We jammed to a band funk, and a bit of crime
We danced on empty balconies, which was pretty neat
Luckily we had dancing shoes strapped onto our feet

We sentenced a girl to 12 hours of service
Watching her testimony made me nervous
We hiked ol vanralte after the intensity
I’ll never be a lawyer, there’s too much density. (yeah I have no idea)

Tulip time finally showed, bringing us lemonade
I watched you play trombone in the parade.
Slacklining in kollen park is always a highlight
Railroad tracks and corndogs also made my day bright.

We spent some nights on beaches, feeling so free
Finally, we kissed under a willow tree.

We made a card for our favorite teacher
We talked smack about jakeke
We madeout in rental houses
on tiny, old,  living room couches
(help)

We climbed never ending stayercases
We read the bible under a sunset
We walked through pirates cove
We crowd surfed to metal concerts

We kissed after mountain biking
Yeah mountain biking, no big deal
We met a man named Russ
We forgot his name for a while, but it came to me during a meal (lies)

We decorated jakes car
Jake come back we're your friends
Jake wy are you in Wyoming
Come back to jakeshouse

We rolled the streets on purple walkers
What more is there to life
Not much, except for JAKESHOUSE
But we weren’t allowed in there most of the time

We let go a Chinese lantern
Aftering becoming emotionally attached
The rest of the night is forgettable,
But also memorable, in it’s own way

We made fires on the tops of very north points
We climbed mountains
jumped off cliffs
built fires

We cuddled on nasty couches
embraced the PDA
We played pool against weird black guys
got a freaking good deal at subway
AAY

We saw a scout become an eagle
And a 12 year old in the basement

We made a difference one morning,
Then we napped til two, it was nice
We almost went to a haunted bog walk
But chose not to. Twice.

We drove on the muthafuckin sidewalk,
Right into some mud,
But tyler came to the rescue and to talk
And pulled us out with a thud

We chatted in halls,
And he was late to class.
Everyday in ol chem,
tardy Tim with no pass.

We watched monsters incorporated
In a questionable basement
a 2319 is all you need
for anything ever

We played boggle in a fish bowl
not a literal fishbowl and we didn't eat soup
that was the name of a coffee shop
where you ate froot loops

I guess mushroom swiss burgers
are supposed to have mushrooms.
THEY ARE NOT supposed to have
lettuce, tomato, or pickle.
ONLY mushroom and swiss.

The angry and life deprived woman I was looking
down at sternly informed me.

Her burger was rapidly fixed.

The friendly, quiet, and easy table to the left
tipped me eight dollars for my troubles.

There are some good people.
It all comes out in the wash.

Fluffy snow was drifting late at night,
and the light pollution in the parking lot
captured each snowflake's descent.

"Locate your flake"
said the boy, whose name
rhymes with teal
and is also a sitting postion in the catholic church

The one as high up as you can see
The one that speaks to you.

Watch that one until it hits your tongue.
and you will be blessed.

Sitting among seven strangers
sharing stories and shepards pie.
I found myself talking to a man named Rick.
Rick was homeless and out of work for eight years.
No loving family.
You see, he began talking to me
Telling me his story.
I listened, pondered.
I did not ask many questions.
He just talked and talked.
I was somebody he could talk to.
He is 50, he outlined a few of his struggles.
He told me during Christmas time...
He didn't want to make it to 51
Because he was lonely.
Lonely.
Lonely?
Lonely.
Billions of people on the planet..
And he's lonely.
Lonely.

So much anticipation
for the day we anticipate
After today we'll do the opposite of grieve
because guess what
it's groundhogs day eve

The man took a bold step outside into the sunlight.
His glasses began delicately shifting to a shade of gray:
this made others around him feel uncomfortable.

I stood across from her for three maybe four minutes
in the front of the college campus shuttle bus.

We were hanging on for dear life
because the chaotic bus driver was driving like a maniac.
Speeding, then slamming the brakes, and taking sharp turns.
I think he was just excited there wasn’t snow on the ground anymore.

I liked her silvery, white, and purple tinted hair and
I also noticed that I really liked her makeup.
She was about at eye level with me
and I mentally complimented her height because
tall girls are the best.

We got off the bus and power walked in the same direction:
doesn’t take as many steps when you're five eleven.

We parted ways and two hours later I saw her in the library.
We made brief eye contact and I hope she thought:
"Oh wait that’s
That girl from the bus."

I popped 2015 in the toaster
and said,
"don't burn"

"but be beautifully crunchy
& a little burnt around the edges"

Chex chocolate
somehow manages
the perfect amount of chocolate
and plain chex
I had four bowls in one sitting

I think about you around the clock
hey cutie, you're my writers block

When the timing is right
and the wind chimes are singing
and the lemons and limes are squeezin
and the words are rhymin
and the tree climbers are climbin
and the deaf are signin
and you are lookin so fiine-in
is when you take off your watch
and time stops timin.
Time stops timin
and the world becomes
timeless

This one’s for the grass eaters:
the ones who teeter on the edge of
reality. For the ones who are hyper-
aware of their consciousness. It’s for
the ones who jump on the creaky wooden
floor to witness the annoyance of those
around them. It’s for the smile you let go after
someone catches you trying to ignore
them. It’s for the Ibuprofen that tears the lining of my
esophagus. It’s for rushing to get to church
so God knows you aren’t late. It’s for the baby
cactus that you are in denial of over-watering---
It’s for that handful of grass I just want to
throw in my mouth.

The enchiladas are taking too long
BUT I DON'T EVEN CARE
:)

Its hilarious when he says it. Then I say the same sentence but the words come out sounding fumbley and dumb. I end up chuckling it off and we laugh about how dumb it was when I said it. So supposedly it's all about the delivery? I guess I'll work at a pizza place then. Oh wait I already did. Unfortunately I had to stop doing that because it wrecked my car. My car said please no more.

It started with the misfiring. I was like okay let’s take you to the shop. So the misfiring stopped and I said all better now right? Little ham and pineapple to this house, how bout a pepperoni over here. Oh and what about some cheezy bread to 455 Barry Street?

A week later I turned the key and the start up was slow and I could hear the murmurs: please no more. I said come on you are my income. Naturally, the tan beast was relentless and finally I took it to the shop again.

And quit my job.
Which I loved.

Now my beastly and tan station wagon is in tip top condition and I'm going to work on my delivery.
My delivery of words and jokes and actions and kindness and all good things.
But not pizzas.
Even though pizza is a very good thing.

I love you my lovely car please take me on more adventures.

The first time I saw you
I thought you were a boy
January ten, you had just arrived
now the wild nine year old that I basically raised
too much energy, but eats too little.
the lego playing, dragon-loving, wild-life biologist
who loves Alexander Hamilton
she laughs at my jokes, she's my light

Be careful when you peel your battles
Cause some oranges fight back.

It all happened while I was standing in a hallway
I peeled and orange, and it fought back

I stood there trying to get beaneath the skin
but it's juice dripped uncontrollably

The venom of the peel shot into my eye
and I was half-blind as the fight continued

I managed to get off a thumb-sized peel
it hit the carpet, with a thud
just kidding peels don't make noise when they fall
but I heard a thud in my mind

I gouged out one slice, mangeld, yet juicy
and handed it to a boy named Timmy

Timmy nodded, and said
"This is a good one, definitely worth the fight!"

The juice was so extreme
it was hitting my head, mid section, arms, and legs with full force

Almost beat, but not quite I looked down at my body..
I was thoroughly covered with orange insides

This was the last straw,
still peel covered, and losing lots of juice...
I opened it in half

Juice exploded everywhere and my hands were so slippery...
the entire orance took its plumet to the carpet

The orange fought back, and I didn't get to eat it
it saw its happy ending in the trash can

Oh how I wanted that orange
The orange that fought back.

the rain drop that dangled from your earlobe
hit me in the face
it was ice-cold
I crinkled my nose and smiled