grade the second,
our hearts young and naive
he gave me half a sandwich
but kept asking for another girl's hand
(jokingly? i know not.)

//

in the same school string orchestra
i wanted to run bow across violin strings
creating the music in my heart i couldn't express with words
why he took up violin? (and then quit?)
i know not,
for it is five years past

//

he was smarter
and perhaps more mature
than most other boys in the grade
yet he wasn't clever enough
to see how my heart ached and sang for him
or maybe it was just a
missed connection

//

lighthearted jokes always danced between us
but nothing more
i used to think his gaze held volumes of meaning
but maybe he was just observing
the butterfly dancing round my head

//

dark brown eyes, a head of floppy hair
that bounced when he ran
not towards me, but not away either
our gazes clashed how many times i could not count
and he held my heart between his gentle hands
for more than two years
for some reason,
i find him most difficult
to describe in words

"hello," i said to my reflection
but she didn't say anything back.

What is this fluttering in my chest whenever I see him?
What are these butterflies doing in my stomach?
Why are my knees weak whenever he smiles?
Why do I smile when I think of him?
Why does my heart pound when I talk to him?

What are these strange feelings I am experiencing?

Perhaps I am coming down with something.
Yes, that must be the case.
I must be sick with fever perhaps;
That explains my cheeks heating up.
Or a cold of some kind;
That explains my breath being caught in my throat.
Or maybe I was stung by a mosquito?
Ah yes, that's why my skin tingles.

My doctor says there's nothing wrong,
I can't seem to figure out what's going on.

His hands,
My hands,
Intertwined
Like two ropes
Knotted together
In a bond
Of
Eternity

It’s okay to say no. It’s okay to say no to someone you love. It’s okay to say no to a friend. It’s okay to say no to a parent or child. It’s okay to say no to a job or relationship.

It’s okay to say no to ****** advances. And it’s okay to say no to a person who’s romantically interested in you. Even if it hurts someone’s feelings, even if you disappoint people, even if you’re judged and ostracized — it’s okay to say no to anything and anyone that causes you pain or makes you uncomfortable. You’re allowed to put yourself first. You’re allowed to set limits and boundaries.

And you deserve to make your happiness and well being a priority. You don’t ever have to settle for something or someone that doesn’t feel right. And you definitely don’t have to compromise yourself for the sake of making other people happy. YOU HAVE TO TAKE CARE OF YOURSELF, AND IF THAT MEANS SAYING NO, IT'S MORE THAN OKAY.**

A quote by – Daniell Koepke

A wall you have to climb over
To reach the other side,
Where there are new things to discover.
There's no use walking around
In circles on this side of the wall;
You'll just have to find
A way to get over it.