My time has come to depart.
We shall not be apart
for long.

I will find other worlds
outside of this bubble
that I live in. This
"security bubble,"
this "incubator"
until my parents finally decide
to let me experience something
on my own without being a tourist.

To travel to India, South America and wherever I want.
Mom and Dad, I guarantee you that
I won't come back skinny and gaunt.

If we have crossed paths before
I hope you be inclined
to meet somewhere again someday
with our history outlined.

I try to keep my head on straight.
The topics run, but things just don't relate.
It's not just me, but you also hesitate.
Please, don't let our chances be too late.

So what if I like eating
*too many cookies?

Stop thinking that you are too much
this or that
too ugly or too fat
because you are worth
much more
than a number.

No jean size, person or society
can dictate how you live your life.
No failure or mistake can ever
define you.

You are only defined by your character.

Leave your candle burning for me if I wander
for I would do the same for you if you ever decided to return.

Torrential rain,
pour down on me
and wash away
my misfortunes.

Eyes caked with exhaustion,
crusted with insomnia,
devoid of all curiosity.
Life has stolen them
away from you.
Fight back.
**Claim what's yours.

Under pressure,
I snap like twigs,
crack like thunder
and split trees like lightning,

*I cave in.

The time will come
when you'll stumble upon
someone who will turn your life
upside-down and inside out.
Chances are, that encounter will happen when you least expect it...so
patience and diversion are key
for that special someone
to walk into your life
*unexpectedly.

Instead of teaching religious differences
we must teach love,
for every religion on our entire planet
bonds through acts of love.

It doesn't matter whether you are a
Muslim or Christian
Pagan or Atheist
Agnostic or Buddhist.

Love is paramount and universal.

Without it, we would not be living.

We should be **love.

Imagina un mar de estrellas
estirado por todas direcciones.
Te conoceré allá
abajo el cielo de agua.

Imagine a sea of stars
stretched in all directions.
I will meet you there
underneath the sky of water.

Espíritus mismos
Corazones conectados
Soñadores similares
Sentidos reales

La distancia nunca separará
nuestros pensamientos.

¡Viva la aventura!

Same spirits
Connected hearts
Similar dreamers
Real feelings

Distance will never separate
our thoughts.

*Long live the adventure!

I only hope that the grass is greener
on the other side of the pond.

We are a slew of
antibiotics, genetically-modified foods, preservatives and dyes.
Our bodies contain everything that doesn't exist in nature.
No wonder why our grades are freefalling along with our pitiful economy.
We blindly invest in the pollution of our food supply and environment by wolfing down Twinkies and Doritos.
I implore you to eat what your grandma considers as food.
Not Pop-Tarts. Fruit Gushers or Swiss Rolls
but **produce.

What do we do when chemical companies like Monsanto try to poison our food?
We fight 'em!
What do we do when our government supports the exportation of millions of jobs to foreign countries?     We fight 'em!
What do we do when the FDA approves unfit and under-tested medicine for our use?
We fight 'em!
What do we do when we find out that the NSA has been spying on us for many years?
We fight until they are stopped!

Right now is the perfect time for revolution. The bourgeoisie will create the spark and will lead the poor out of the cave of ignorance.
But we can't do this alone.
If you want a better life for you and your posterity
**FIGHT 'EM!

Depression.
We, as a society,
should step back
and evaluate this word.

What are we doing
that causes people
to cut themselves
or throw themselves
off of bridges?

Are we really so selfish
as to overlook these people?

They are fighting a battle
that we can't even fathom
playing out in their heads.
The casualties, the blood,
everything is real to them.

I will continue to utter,
"We must help"
until it becomes a roar
of people demanding
to give them a second thought.

We must help them.

No more lives should
slip through the cracks.

My brow is hardened
from the evil in this world
but nothing can wipe
the smile off of my face
from the good.

There's just something about
reading in Spanish
that makes me feel alive.

Sólo hay algo sobre
leer en Español
que me hace sentir vivo.

Win me over with words.

I clench the satin tablecloth in my hand.
A slow drone of smooth jazz echoes in the distance.
The fluttering wisps of cigarette smoke waft to the ceiling as my husband steps into the parlour in his tar black overcoat.
"What took you so long?" I ask concernedly.
He just nodded, gave me a lazy grin
and ordered us two gins.

Exclusion is  **bullying.

Love** is my religion.

What if
the whole world
*died?

Remind me again why
I'm doing this homework?

Let your children go explore.
School does not teach a kid nearly as
much as a romp through the woods
or a foreign exchange.
Meeting new people and finding inner peace must become priorities in life if you want your kids to be happy.
Try telling that to them while giving them worksheets.
Open their minds.
First and foremost, give them some
autonomy to roam.
This will ultimately make them happy.