#academy
Tonight we mean it
there's something not quite right
with the elements
To quote Lady Anagram:
"iceman is cinema"
and stone cold crazy
Lovely little leotard
arrives in her bullet-proof limo
The lone gunman is an online influencer desperate for content
He got an Oscar nomination for his trouble
Pins and needles are symptoms of headsparks, just ask any self-absorbed celebrity
They ain't playing, they named their first kid Atari
She suffers from pixel vision anxiety and now identifies as a cellphone
Academy award for best under **** goes to the front row
The winner is the lunatic
The acceptance speech is a litany of pet peeves, personal grudges, and drug induced mania
No one is watching at home, but they pout and preen nonetheless, lecturing us all on the evils of the world they don't live in
The saddest part: more than half the people in that room are mentally ill
Instead of placating them, just maybe we should be looking to check them in somewhere for help
Mar 20
Mar 20, 2026 at 10:25 PM UTC
The years I spent at Andover were the worst years of my life.
I was a kid from Kansas, a very smart kid, if I do say so myself.
So smart, in fact, that my father had planned years in advance
that I should attend Phillips Academy (aka Andover), because
he could live out his fantasies vicariously--albeit unconsciously--
through me. My dad had grown up during the Depression dirt
poor, but he also was very bright and was determined to escape
the hellhole he had survived through sedulous work and Her-
culean effort, and thus became very rich. I, of course, had never
heard of Andover. I was content to go to public schools in Topeka,
Kansas, had many friends, got virtually straight-As, and enjoyed
immensely all the athletic teams I had played on. Also, I was elected
president of the student council in junior high. But all of that didn't
matter to my dad. Andover, and only Andover, was my dad's plan for
me. I had never heard of Andover, but dad had. He used to spend
countless hours reading books about rich and successful men
while lying on his bed at night. So, in due course, I was admitted
(not an easy thing to do) to Andover, and dad flew with me to
Boston, then rode in a cab with me some twenty miles north to
Andover in the town of--you guessed it--Andover, Massachusetts.
Andover is the oldest boarding school in America, founded two years
after our country was, in 1778. Paul Revere designed and made
the school's seal. George Washington sent his nephew there.
The campus was breathtakingly beautiful. Dad had met John
Kemper, Andover's headmaster, and had noticed what kind and
style of shoes he was wearing, so dad went out and bought me
the replica of Kemper's shoes. How weird, I thought. I received
at Andover plausibly the best secondary school education in the
world, but at an exorbitant social and emotional cost. A small
number of my classmates, principally from Greenwich and Darien,
Conneticut, though intellectually brilliant, were simply mean.
They were "the drops of poison," if you will, that turned Andover's
ambiance into an emotionally corrosive environment that affected in
an insidious way students and teachers alike. I managed to endure
this horror; others did not. I chose to attend Columbia, not Yale,
because four more years at Yale would have been like spending
four more years at Andover, anathema for me. Columbia was liber-
ating. It's Core Curriculum made you learned for life, and living in
and exploring for four years New York City, the veritable capital of
the world, made you a citizen of the world for life, even if you decided
to reside somewhere else after graduating, which I did. I live now in
Boulder, Colorado, far away from Greenwich.
Copyright 2020 Tod Howard Hawks
Apr 2, 2020
Apr 2, 2020 at 12:31 AM UTC
His Shadow,
The fire flame,
Of magical illusion unconsciously plays.
With no trace, but discrete soul frame
Would these emotional contacts delay?
When hidden blinks end our days.
Cast in stone, in foundation of lies
Will all these shadows,
in searching of the hidden soul.
Her shadow
Covered in blood, sang aloud in sin
Who could tell where the sad little dove was?
Counting pale hearts, purple loves,
can anyone return her festering secrets safely?
If purity be poisoned, life to blame.
When there is an unwanted birth,
dark Angel denies.
Her shadow, hidden soul
where the shape of magic academy, can you touch?
His pain
A sleepless night twitch
Whose illusions knew the game?
Faded smile fast frozen
Who will believe his heart would ever bleed?
A little broken lost child
has carried tons of stones, climbed up to endless hills.
Noting these issues,what we ought to feel?
Shadow of love,
magic academy, hidden soul.
Her pain
A set of painful memories, long times ago
Though, she knew, she must let it go
When dreams trigger upon the aching scars.
It burns within an injured heart.
Tearful moon shadow, in the wake of lies
What was missed?
magic academy, hidden soul.
Sep 18, 2019
Sep 18, 2019 at 8:54 PM UTC
#*Asha - Ray of Sunshine, hope is her name, she loves to dance, forever young and has a beautiful heart
Pallavi- A beautiful flower, lovely smile, deep thoughts, brownies and chocolates, her recipe to melt hearts, dance her passion, master at her craft
Neeta- Naive and lovely, with an innocent smile, positivity her armour, she is quite a charmer
Sapna - Bakes most lovely cakes, red lipstick, vermillion dot on her forehead, a trademark, wears her heart on her sleeve, full of love, she extends it to every soul, Punjabi her style, Patiala heart(big heart)
Pradnya- Sweet as saccharine, she knows a lot, sure a woman of substance, wisdom her charm, dances to the tune of her heart
Sajeeda- Versatile personality, a multitasker, holds her goals clear and achieve she does, has keen eyes for quality and performs her best, quite an angel when it comes to taking broken ones under her wings. She has the will power which keeps her going, when the going gets rough. A brave heart, and a wandering soul, searching for heights and higher self. A go getter, with a never say never attitude. Has weathered a few storms. A wonderful person with a tough outer shell and a warm heart beneath
Bijal- Happy go lucky, warm and affectionate, friend of friends. Ever smiling, never a frown on her brows
Breezes in with a jovial chime
Neelakshi- Creative and wonderful, she knows the law, cool as ice, her heart warm, dances her heart out, even when a bit down
Goes with the flow and knows what she does, crystal clear in her views.
Jovial and throws caution to the wind*#
Feb 28, 2019
Feb 28, 2019 at 6:32 AM UTC
Fingers dance around
strings as if trained at Bolshoi
dance academy
Aug 25, 2018
Aug 25, 2018 at 11:02 PM UTC
1
I sit in the back of Dad’s car, bopping my head to The Beatles’ Revolution and hum quietly while reading over my notes for today’s math test.
2
Lunch with Val, Eugene, Michelle, Kayla, Chris, and Nick, talking about our favorite movie, Forrest Gump, until Val interrupts with how nervous she is about applying to high school. We finish lunch in silence.
3
Let f(x) = -2X2 + 4X + 6…That is the question that has plagued me all day. On my math test, I made the answer positive instead of negative, the minor mistake that will cost me my A.
4
On this beautiful, unseasonably warm afternoon, I am glad to be outside reading my favorite Matheson stories on the wooden cutout in the giant oak by the dining room window, but worries that I may not be accepted to The Academy interrupt my leisure.
5
For Christmas, my friends and I exchange gifts. Val gives me a stuffed flamingo. I put right it right next to the unicorn on the lace covered brown bench that oversees my room.
6
We have received your application for admission testing to The Academy for Allied Health and Biomedical Sciences. Your test will be on January 28, 2008.
7
In gym class, Val holds her hand as if she is in pain, but she refuses to show it to anyone, not even me, her best friend.
8
Val has a circular scar on her hand that looks like a burn mark. She insists that she is just clumsy and she fell.
9
This kid next to me at The Academy admission testing is breathing so loudly I can’t concentrate.
10
I glide my paintbrush through the orange paint and onto the canvas. I don’t know what I’m painting, but I know I need to paint.
11
Math class is miserable. Not only did I get an 86 on the test that I thought I aced, but Val started crying hysterically, until Ms. Endolf sent her to the school counselor.
12
Michelle and Kayla are mad at Val for acting so strangely. They refuse to speak to our friend. I refuse to join their charade. I know she’s acting strangely for a reason.
13
I come home to find my mother crying…happy tears. She tells me that I passed my admission test with a proud ear-to-ear grin on her face. The next step in the admission process is an interview with The Academy on March 1.
14
I bead a few bracelets before going to sleep. I feel guilty, like I should be studying or preparing for my interview, but I just don’t want to.
15
Val pulls me into the coat cubby during homeroom, the dark circles under her eyes barely visible from the faint light in the dimly lit room. She tells me how her father has abused her and her sisters this past year and swears me to secrecy
16
How can I help my best friend and her sisters? Can I help my best friend and her sisters? Can I help my best friend?
17
I go to the veteran’s home where I’d been volunteering for a while and see my favorite veteran, Ray. He tells me not to get old.
18
“Why do you want to go to The Academy?” Ms. Ferris, my Academy interviewer, asks. I stare at her blankly for a moment before responding.
19
When Val comes to school with more bruises, I break my promise and tell my parents.
20
I slowly open my report card to reveal a B in math…my first B ever. I take a puff of my inhaler.
21
The old home phone rings; I assume it will be the Academy with an admission decision. “Help me, Morissa!” Val screams into the phone. I gesture to my mother who grabs the car keys, as we race to the door.
22
Spring break. My family and I go to Hershey Park in Pennsylvania to celebrate my being one of forty students admitted to The Academy.
23
DYFS goes to Val’s house after her older sister tries to commit suicide by overdosing on pain pills.
24
Lunch is so quiet with Eugene, Michelle, Kayla, Chris, and Nick.
25
I got an 84 on my math test today. I smile.
26
Val returns to school but sits at a different lunch table. She has no more bruises, but her eyes are still red.
27
My gown flows as I march down the church aisle to receive my certificate of completion from St. John Vianney.
28
I stare at the screen of the my new HP computer as I scratch the back of the $15 iTunes card my grandparents gifted to me. As I begin to type in OKGO’s Here It Goes Again, as the first song I purchase, I change my mind and type in The Beatles’ Revolution.
29
I relax outside alternating between reading Stephen King and beading on my twirling chair as I now do every relaxing summer day.
30
Went to the shore. Won a giant yellow bee stuffed animal. I am the skeeball champion!
31
This is so embarrassing. I don’t know how to open my locker. In all my years of private school, home school, and Catholic school, I’ve never had a locker until entering The Academy. Mrs. Bow laughs as she teaches me how to operate a locker.
32
Holding a brain is a lot different than I thought it would be. It is mushier and lighter than I imagined.
33
“Ever see Forrest Gump?” my new friend, Ruchir, asks at lunch, as I mush the jelly on my sandwich.
34
I walk down the street pulling my Shi-tzu and Maltese in my wagon. Lester almost jumps out when he sees a terrier twice his size, but I catch him just in time. It is the scariest moment I have had in a long time.
35
At the veteran’s home, I see Ray and tell him how much I love The Academy. He smiles and asks if I’d like to sing with him.
36
The phone rings. It’s my new friend Shannon. She needs help with our Biomedical Sciences homework.
37
I spend Columbus Day at The Carpet Maven, my parent’s carpet store. St. John Vianney never gave days off for “made up holidays.”
38
Solve for x in the equation Ln(x)=8…I haven’t been able to get that problem out of my head all day. That is the problem that earned me the Best in Class Award on my first marking period report card.
39
It’s Sunday. I walk down Main Street to pick up bagels for my family. The smiley, bright-eyed girl behind the counter at the bagel shop is Val. She is a student at Mother Superior High School. She asks if my unicorn is being nice to my flamingo.
40
I look at the flamingo and unicorn on my bench. They’re fine. I’m okay. Everybody ‘s alright. Everything’s good.
Jul 7, 2014
Jul 7, 2014 at 10:17 PM UTC
tell me, upon returning...
"Returning from where, I've been right here?"
...did you gasp for breath?
"I no longer fool myself into believing that breathing was ever an option,"
-thought my hand out loud
"I merely close my eyes and concede myself to the asphyxiation."
love
"...is my darkness of eternity."
Jun 5, 2014
Jun 5, 2014 at 10:27 PM UTC