Come close, friends, and huddle near
As I retell the story of the Children of Lir
Come close, ye travelers, I'll try to be breif
I can tell of the messy teenager, Blackfooted Gulleesh
Come close, little children, and listen all
To what happens when leprechauns venture into kings halls
Come close by the light in this untimely snow
I'll tell of Balar and Lugh's mighty throw
And as we fall asleep and turn off the  lights
I'll tell of how cunning beats giants in a fight

Irony is
Needing a bookmark for Fahrenheit 451
Rooting around in your backpack
And the first thing you pull out
Is a fire energy pokemon card

You've said "it can't happen here" for so long
Yet even you know that's just wrong
For no matter the place
The time, or the race
If unchecked, it can always come along

Its kind of a funny thing
How the world teaches us that we need to be great
When so many of us are average

For the world to tell children
Of the need to fit in
And to tell these grown ups
Of the need to stand out

I wonder if I
Was ever really normal
Well, If I was, I haven't been for years
According to this journal

I often feel not quite a poet
All I seem to have in it is a flair for the dramatic
Because half of my account is rants
I'm just another white teen girl with nothing traumatic
And I only seem to write about my parents
When I've had a fight then
Like my muses seem to constantly forget
All the good times and support from them
And I write about problems I haven't been there to see
And compare places I live to where I've yet to be
I say I'm a loner with no one to talk to
But the truth is I stay away and hide my face in YouTube
Because I've got the social skills of a rotten tuber
And I seemed to have learned that chitchat doesn't help me
To see into the root of the issue, it's just more clutter and clatter
And if the people around us are all that matter
I'll be looking for all ways away from the prattlers
Because I love them with all of my heart
But good god, we need some years apart
They call me bubbly, smart, loving, and a doll
But some day they're gonna see through it all
To the weirdest hypocrisy that lies within
That while I'm living near the top
I've been feeling like I'm about to burst without stop
In spite of all of the luck I've got
So I put in my earbuds, tell them I'm fine
And I try to think of accurate, fitting, and chipper rhymes
Maybe I'll put blue skies straight into my lines next time

Leaves of palm fall to the ground
As fish and coconuts abound
Children swim under the sun
Searching for some summer fun
Grownups head on to the bar
Or to gatherings where their colleagues are
Winter's left, snowbirds are gone
Some tourists are here, but most moved on
Sun climbs over the naval bases
Shining upon uniformed faces
Sailors clip along bays and coasts
Besides mangroves and shipwrecked ghosts
Plantains and barbacue, fish and rice
Lemonade for kids, and beers in ice
Corals are shining, and so are the jellies
While artists sunset performances spark passion in bellies
This is the hot passion of summer in Key West
Where oceans meet and birds come to rest

Beware of leaders
Who promise it all, for you
Will end up with *none

Don't tell me where we're going
I don't really need to know
As long as it's far from here
Just take my hand and go.
Let's not linger too long on the past
And please don't go too slow
For night's guise is our blessing
And day's revealing light, our foe

Don't tell people things that
They have already heard of

I wonder if
The lights in my room
Are telling me something

For every December
Another one burns out
And leaves me with a countdown
Of all the summers left
Until my departure

So I suppose
That by the time I attain that goal
For which I have so long
Yearned, pined, dare I say lusted for
My room will only be lit
By the sun and the moon

Like two ghosts, we'll dissapear
We'll blow our way right out of here
For us, the night is not a thing to fear
But a meeting place for friends and lovers dear

Limbo
Is draping across two bus seats
At two in the morning
On an empty highway
Surrounded by vast grasslands
En route to Chicago
And praying to a god
That you don't belive in
That you'll get more
Than two hours of sleep
Or
Failing that
Wifi that actually works
In this silent, half sleeping
Microcosm

I need to quiet my phone
the worry will drive me insane
The sound it makes in a room
Embarrasses me for no gain
In a large group, it's fine
No one can hear a thing to blame
but in a small group of my friends
I can't ever let it happen again

Walking under an indigo sky
With a cream colored moon shining in her eyes
Sniffing at the ground instead of looking up
Is my little mixed breed pup

Running under a blanket of blue
Chasing squirrels like terriers do
After the chase, sleeping like a log
Is my little puppy dog

Woofing quietly at my feet
Acting like it's time to eat
Staring up hopefully, looking so cute
Is my sixty pound little pooch

The maladaptive is attractive to those like me
Isn't there a world where you'd rather be
Hours of daydreams at the expense of living
Is worth it for a world more solvable and forgiving
Infection, hiding scars, and makeshift bandages
Are worth it for the focus and the high's advantages
Anonymous self depreciation like a digital confession
Is worth it for hiding my distracted depression
Wandering around with thoughts of the end
Before I start to face down what's going on in my head

Some people march in a band
For sports fans in the grandstands

Some march in the military
On bases from Hawaii to Italy

Some people march to be heard
Over all the events that occured

And on Saturday, amongst the crowd's clatter
I'm joining those who are doing the latter

It's called march madness for a reason
I don't know what it is with these season
Whether it's climate, pheromones
Or that we finally feel at home
There are couples everywhere you can see them

I wonder if my life
And all of its things
Is held up by
A set of strings
It just seems to me
That every day
Someone else
Is deciding my ways
I wonder if
I am really me
Or if someone else
Decides who I'll be

And I wonder if
I'll lose this bet
And remain
A marionette
I wonder if
I should be this way
Or if it's better
To break away

What I wonder most
In all of these things
Who is the one
Pulling these strings
Is it someone close
Or a large crowd
That keeps me from saying
What I wish to aloud

And I wonder if
I'll lose this bet
And remain
A marionette
I wonder if
I should be this way
Or if it's better
To break away

If I break these strings
Will I crash as I fall
Or will I learn
To fly above it all

And I wonder if
I'll lose this bet
And remain
A marionette
I wonder if
I should be this way
Or if it's better
To break away

Tonight I sit lackadaisical
After a week of the last routine
I think back to the start on the mall
The roaring chants of the scene

Has it been a decade
Or only a month
How much longer do we have to go
As shovel by *****
Both millions of times and once
We find the final, finishing blow

Tonight I sit, exhausted
Just thinking about what comes next
Because one senior week, I've lost it
And, politically, I don't have a plan for the rest

Then I think of that day in D.C.
Shouting "This is what democracy looks like!"
Pink ***** hats as far as eyes could see
And millions worldwide trying to get things right

I sit in this booth, so ******* worn out
Just knowing that we've still just begun
I chastise myself for being inactive
It, and sometimes I just want to run

But then I see comics speak on air
And I see some postcards in a store
And I feel like we can really get there
If we keep at it a little more

Running down these vacant halls
Behind the stage before curtain call
In these moments, I'm taken back
Three years before the beatten track

And somewhere 'neath that cutrained hide
Comes a feeling from deep inside
Not quite joy, not yet grief
A fleeting moment, yet never brief
And with a gasp in the dark unseen
Comes my gasp, a silent scream

Not even audible, yet still a song
Brand new, but I grew it all along
A wish for a past away from this pain
A wish for future, never to come again
And as breathless words rise up again
I silently mouth my memoriam

For gone is the girl I once was
Yet still she's here, in every cause
Then I didn't know half of what I do now
Never had a clue as to what was about
To happen to me, to my loves and my mind
I want it so bad, like a fool to rewind
But I know to get better, I have to go on
Even if I miss those old patterned songs

So in an attempt to take a stand
Here I type a feeble memoriam
For I can't even start to change it all
My past will always have its power and call
But I must leave and I must grow
So wish me luck and here I go
For though I will fail again and again
Falling back on way back when
I will get up, and then will stand
Shouting in memoriam

I wake up early
the tropical squall outside
turns the beach blue-grey

outside our hotel
the bay looks rather bizarre
so quiet and still

I get dressed quickly
we pack our bags just as fast
glancing at the paper

we check out quickly
before realizing that we
still had three hours left

so we drive downtown
past the tropical art deco
to get some breakfast

two empanadas
tea for me, coffee for you
watching the local news

there's not really anywhere
where we can go for an hour
and be back in time

so you just drive 'round
I guess this seems strange because
It's usually busy

Streets filled with tourists
spring breakers and the partiers
are now near silent

a wet, grey Sunday
the streets no longer bustling
we wait to meet mom

Like a wolf in the night
Or a deer in it's flight
Or a swallow on favoring winds
Travel swift to the end
Make new choices to send
To the spirits that lurk within

And though we are young
Stories quickly begun
Whirling around the windowless compound
So some block it out
Some start to pout
And some go insane when no one's around

So come out in the day
In this place cast away
Do not believe long held lies
Then finally, we'll see
Between you and me
What the truth is in the gentry's eyes

Art is not dead
It's just rearing its head
On sidewalks and forums
As well as a gallery's decorum

Music's not gone
The song still goes on
Online and in strip malls
Just like the concert halls

Legends are still written
Leaving an audience smitten
In novels and orations
And theaters across the nation

Culture's not gone
It's still moving on
And I, for one,
Think its just begun

When I was a little girl
Playing with my rocket toys
I was fascinated and confused
By the world of boys

I told my mom what had appeared
The boy's odd ways and such
She said "honey, boys will always be weird
But when you're older, you won't mind so much"

And as I've gotten older
I've certainly grown to see
When it comes to the other gender
I know exactly what she means

How low
Do you want me to go?

How much further
Do you think I can sink?

Do you wish me
To lower myself
To the level of a beast
Because I can do that

Be warned, good sir
That if you push me that far
I can be quite dangerous
Dangerous enough to ****

You don't think I could?

I bet you don't think
That it's possible
To **** a man with only your nails

Or that it's possible
To tear open a man's throat
With one's nails and teeth

But it is possible
And if you push me that far
I will not hesitate to such things

So I will ask you
One more time:

*How low do you want me to go?

We tend to separate monsters and men
Simplifying and beliving that such things can't happen again
But if we could only resurrect the dead
The sole answer would be "that's what we said"

We call abhorent acts of criminals "inhuman"
Thinking cruelty only comes from ******* men
But animals never threaten holocaust or world war
And even big brother was a child before

The enemy of my enemy isn't necessarily my friend
Especially not when he aims a coconut at my head
While screaming that I'm a member of the ranks of the undead

Wakey wakey
Big mistakey

There's a reason why
Its called the concrete jungle
When the crossing gaurds whistle
And the trains rumble

But nothing brings out
The similarities more
Then sitting in a tunnel
And hearing a car's roar

Or sitting in a tunnel
And hearing the howl
Of six police motorcycles
In a motorcade prowl

When my mom starts shouting at everyone
When my dad disagrees with something I secretly like
When my sister calls me a ***** (I  can be a real **** to her sometimes)
Music is my closest family member

When I haven't seen my friends for two weeks
When all I my texts go unanswered
When I say I'm a homebody because I can't find anyone to hang with
Music is my best friend

When Trump and Brexit happen in the same year
When terrorism appears in the news again
When teen suicide deaths exceed teen car accident deaths
Music is my comfort

One of the greatest moments
In this world, I find,
Is finally finding a song
That seems to read your mind

When the beat drops, you feel it
In every body part
And you feel it in your soul
As the beat matches your heart

The artist behind the song
Knows you better than your friends
And you think about it for hours
After the song ends

So while the world is huge and confusing,
At least I know an artist who shares in my musings

My best trick ever
Is hiding crazy mischief
As part of my mind

My second best trick
Was putting sprinkles in the
Peanut butter jar

I believe in equality
That people should not be authority and subjects
But equals with different skill sets and positions

I believe in advancement
That our world will change over time
That progress will be made
That inventors and artists will create
And leaders and makers will revolutionize

I believe in understanding
That we can learn to understand our world, our place in it, and our fellow humans
That we can gain the knowledge to shape our environment and ourselves

I believe in hope for the future, carpe diem, and in remembering the stories of the past

Let's do this

If I can't dance, I don't want to be
A part of your revolution
And if I can't laugh in heaven
I don't want to be in God's nation
Our favorite quotes show more about us
Than they do the people who wrote them
And if you want to see a change in the world
Become that change, then

Sitting in a large hotel room
Thinking of the competition coming soon
One person in my left has a binder out
The kids across the hall are trying not to shout
Fixing up the gadgets at the last minute
While some play board games in the mindset to win it
It's 11:30 at night, I'm eating cold Chinese
Win or lose, fail or fly, I do as I please
We all cheer when the fourth comes back with ice
This moment is my paradise

Sitting on a mountain the temperature of snow
I eye the massive valley below
The farms and forests make a patchwork quilt
The streets and towns are embroidery of silk
The sun rises, setting the treetops on fire
My campmates wake up slow with some ire
Out here, I'm awed by mother earth's ways
As my friends and I decide how to navigate our days
I don hiking clothes under the day's new light
This moment is my paradise

Summer in full swing, the crickets cry
As twilight yeilds stars in the sky
We wander the camp, the ocean roars in the distance
Masters of our fate, we don't need assistance
Whether at the beachfront, ziplining, or boardwalks
We run like a fox pack, not caring who gawks
As we think of the adventures of the world ahead
There's nowhere I'd like to be instead
As our flip flops crack on the ground the camp comprised
This right here is my paradise

We're running around another big city
So much to see, and I have my group with me
We just got out of our musical clinic
Now it's time to explore the town, see the magic in it
We'll meet up at five, for a dinner at seven
We'll go on a boat and get back at eleven
Right here, right now, we can make our own way
Free from routine, we get to have a say
We're a bit confused, a little underdressed
We still need chaperones, and we're way underslept
Even with all of that, this will more than suffice
This right here is my paradise

We have
Some of the highest test scores
Some of the highest placing graduates
Some of the more expensive neighborhoods
And our teams and ensembles
Are nationaly recognized

We also have
At least one trafficking incident in every school
At least one suicide per school per year
Drug deals so rampant every student has seen one by the time they graduate
Fights in the hallway almost every day
And school counselors who can tell you all about what classes you're best suited for
But who can't give halfway decent advice for life

You know
This would actually be
Kind of a fun game
If I hadn't already run a mile and a half
If I actually liked sports
And if I weren't afraid of being decapitated
By an airborne soccer ball

Standing at the water's edge
A little girl peers over the ledge
Looking deep into the water's night
Without the slightest hint of fright
Gazing at the waves alien world
With her eyes shining meekly bold
She smiles pondering her soon to be realm
An alien earth with her mind at the helm

Some say the net is
A corrupting influence
On modern day youth

But keep in mind that
Socrates said the same of
The written language

My two cents in this
Is that the web is a tool
The most powerful

For with it we can
Whole new worlds and cultures that
For else wouldn't be

We can create minds
Artificial, but like us,
To explore this world

We can spread the word
News is real time, and we
Have a say in it

However, this can
Push people to their own deaths
War, or to ******

With so much to know
Falsehoods are also present
In this shifting world

But in the end, this
Is info's greatest tool yet
In history's time

Time and time again
From writing to printing press
This change has been good

So, in the end, we
Now have information's best
Tool in our hand's palms

Come what may, but I
Have some hopes for the future
Of this little web

I thought I could escape a raptor when
I moved five hours to a new valley
I switched out my life and my set of friends
Those dark thoughts had finally gone from me
One work week in, and somehow they were back
Those feelings I had thought both gone and dead
Three weeks in, and I've cut them quite far back
But no matter what, they're still in my head
So I guess that they'll just never be gone
So with that in mind, I'll keep moving on