I’m an Outsider

Always have been

Always will be

I’m an Outsider

I live outside the box

I can’t follow a straight line

I’m an Outsider

My friends are Outsiders

We live in a different world

One where being an Outsider is the best thing to be

I’m an Outsider

I rely on the others

They rely on me

I’m an Outsider

Always have been

Always will be

I’m proud to be an Outsider

Be as brave as Eliza Harris
Be as just as Atticus Finch
Be as adventurous as Huck Finn
Be as strong as Cassie Logan
Be a friend like Johnny Cade
Be as imaginative as Tom Sawyer
Be a dreamer like Ponyboy Curtis
Be as selfless as Jim
Be as honest as Uncle Tom

Let fictional characters be your moral compass every once in a while.

I am the forest

I am the footsteps squishing in the mud after a freshly fallen rain

I am the pine needles laying on the forest floor

I am the hundreds of branches reaching out and hugging the trails you made

I am the the dirt of the ravine crumbling away and tumbling into the pit

I am the trickle of water waiting in that pit

I am the forest

I am the presence some feel

I am the spirit for those who can see it

I am the whisper in the wind some can hear

I am the forest

Εξουσία (Power)

Είναι ισχυρό

Μην αμφιβάλλετε

Παρακολουθήστε εκείνους που δεν μοιάζουν με τίποτα

Είναι αυτοί που θα μας σώσει όλους

Αυτό που βλέπετε στις σκιές

Οι ψυχές περιμένουν να πηδήσουν

Όσοι μπορεί να μην ακούγονται σαν να έχουν τίποτα να πουν;

Περιμένετε

(It is powerful

Do not doubt Watch those who do not look like anything It is they who will save us all

What you see in the shadows The souls are waiting to jump Those who may not sound like they have anything to say? Wait for it)

What Humans do Best

The sky and the ocean never got along

Neither could ever quite admit they could be in the wrong

So the humans decided to do what they do best

Enjoy what it is they think they know

And block out all the rest

The Mist blinds their simple eye

They never could look deep

They take whatever reality they like

And form them into ideas to keep

Maybe if they weren't so stubborn

Admit to what they don't know

They could reach the 600th floor

And watch their legends grow

I guess you could say 

They don't have a clue

Maybe it's better that way

If they did,

Who knows what damage they'd do?

Memories

     It's been an amazing school year and I'm honestly sad to see it go. Next year is going to be quite a bit different for me. I'm trying to be ready for that...anyway, this year has been filled with so many memories. I've made wonderful friends and had so much fun with my old ones, I've grown a lot in academics, and look fondly back on this school year. The highlights of my year have been:

1. Without a doubt, Seussical. Being Jojo is Seussical Jr. was my highlight of the whole year. What an experience!

2. Ranting with my friends at lunch about musicals and books (doing spirited dances from multiple musicals)

3. Writing, writing, writing! Having two writing classes was very cool

4. Reading one of my favorite books in my Lit. class (Roll of Thunder, Hear my Cry)

5. Going down the hallway with my friend, joking and doing a secret handshake

6. Gaining an awesome trio with hugs after every class

It's been a wonderful year

Summer Plans

    This summer, I plan to write as much as I do this school year- poetry, short stories, (*ahem rewritting every Percy Jackson scene the way I want it to go*) and really, anything that comes to mind. For reading, I plan to read possibly Of Mice and Men, Uncle Tom's Cabin, The Grapes of Wrath, and most definitely read all of the Percy Jackson books and series!

     As for my summer plans, my summer is going to be pretty packed. I applied for a job position as a volunteer for the Cincinnati Art Museum, so I may get that, which would be five hour shifts a few days a week. I also got into the Cincinnati Young People's Theater production of "Beauty and the Beast" at Covedale Theater as many ensemble roles with the most amazing cast of fellow theater nerds! (That's going to be the highlight of my summer) Four hour rehearsals five days a week , nine performances! I also will continue voice lessons.

"Flash Fiction"

~ She never should've tried ~

~ That's where it ended ~

~ Her breath left her ~

~ The heartbeat thudded rhythmically ~

~ Pulsing pounded my soul ~

~ Silently, the book turned ~

Amelia Earhart

     I read an article from "Scope" magazine this afternoon that talked about the disappearance of Amelia Earhart. The article provided information about new evidence found that perhaps Amelia died as a castaway on an island. A box full of what could be woman's bones were on an island near where her plane disappeared, that could very well be Amelia's. I think it's possible and this could be a really great theory, if we had something to back it up. There's not a whole lot there to support the fact that the bones belong to Amelia.  They might be on to something, though. Amelia's disappearance may remain a mystery forever, or it may be solved. Really, only time and hard work can tell

Scars

     Let go. That's what he told me to do. He said everything would be okay if I let go. So I let my hand unclasp from one branch. Slowly my foot slid ever so slightly. If I were to let go, I'd fall. Of course, it's the law of gravity. How was that okay? Above me, the storm clouds began to circle overhead. He was frantic now. "Let go!" He told me again. I looked down. I was eight feet up. Surely he didn't expect me to let go. My feet desperately groped for another branch but any trace of one crumbled beneath my weight. A roll of thunder shook the dense air.

     That's when the rain began. Pounding like a hammer around me and this tree. He was down below, still shrieking into the wind. I looked wildly for another branch, any easier way to get down. Will was starting to blur out. His face was a mixture of color, like ink smearing the words on a page. I was starting to feel dizzy. My left hand dropped from the branch and I plummeted. Down, down, down; the fall never seemed to end. Will wanted to catch me. Otherwise he wouldn't have told me to jump. But the rain was blinding now and Will couldn't even see me anymore. The only sign I was there, was the sharp scream that rang out through the air.

      I snapped out of my daydream. I could still hear the echoes in my head screaming "let go! Just let go, Ally!" I forced them to leave my mind as I stared in the mirror. It was a very unusual scar that lined my face. It wasn't like any other. It covered half my face, starting above my left eyebrow and trailed in an even, perfectly curved line down between my eyes to my nose. Once it reached the left side of it, it suddenly went into a jagged bolt shape. The evenness was gone and it was crazy and directionless. Almost like the lightning bolt that shot through the sky as I fell, cutting my face on the branch. 

Colors

The color blue tastes like a glass of water, chilled with an ice cube, the glass foggy from condensation
It sounds like the crashing of an ocean, slapping the sand with each roll

The color pink tastes like a bite of a cupcake piled high with sweet, fluffy icing
It sounds like the chirping of a baby bird on a spring day

The color orange tastes tangy, almost sour. Impossible to miss
It sounds like saxophone wailing on a street corner, piercing, jazzy, and noticeable

The color green tastes like fresh fruit. It tastes like summer air and all that is new
It sounds like the rustling of leaves, crunching underfoot

The color red tastes like a fiery hot pepper. Flames, burning. It reels you in
It sounds like a jazz band swinging all night long at a club, never stopping for breaks

The color purple tastes rich and refreshing, like a bite of swirling dark chocolate
It sounds like a wind whipping around a castle- barely a whisper against the heavy stones

The color yellow tastes tart and sour, lemony and zingy, waking you up immediately
It sounds like fairy bells ringing high-pitched jingles in your ears

Someone Who's Willing to go Down Too

Sometimes life is easy
Simple, effortless, breezy
And sometimes days don't go as you plan
And you just have to run and keep up as best you can
Why are things so much more complicated than they need to be?
Because sometimes no matter what you might think,
Things aren't as they seem to be

So you better have a friend come along for the ride
And the two of you can either find your way through,
Or at least you can both lose your pride
Someone who's willing to go down too
Even if they have the choice to abandon ship,
They choose to stick with you

Still though, it'd be nice if the turbulence could subside
Preferably before all our tears have been cried
Drama can get so tiring
It gets old so fast
Who wouldn't wish it would just get past?

But as long as you've got a friend through your day
I swear, my friend, you'll be okay

Friends

Good friends are like songs

Eventually they end and the music stops

But they never leave your head

They get embedded in your mind

And even when the music isn’t playing

You remember the tune

You remember the words

And it's sweet and heartwarming like nothing else

And sometimes that song drifts out

Friends drift sometimes

And sometimes they have to leave

It’s not their choice

And it breaks your heart a little bit

But someday,

Weeks later

Months

Years

You hear that old song

And the tune sparks a million memories

Kind of like those friends

Except songs can be forgotten

They come and go

But good friends?

They never leave

You never forget them

I learned a while before

That the unlikeliest of friends

Usually turn out to be the most beautiful

Because it’s all the more lovely

Once the friendship solidifies

And suddenly,

You can’t imagine why you ever thought you couldn’t be friends with them

The Creator

She looked up the steep mountainside and saw
The world she created
With her bare hands

The feathers on the wings on the birds she molded
Flying and gleaming through the sky

The wildflowers spiraling up the mountainside
Purple and white blossoms
Each petal hand-crafted with care

Even the mountain itself
Her biggest project

The creator of the mountains
And of the birds
And of the wildflowers
And of life
Of nature
Of adventure
Of peace
Looked over her work and smiled contently
She was the creator
She was as big as the mountain itself
As tiny as the buds growing on the stems
As high-flying as the birds in the sky
As grounded as the few stems of grass peeking up through the ground
She was as loud as the cawing of the crows
As silent as the whisper of a breeze
She was the creator

Remembering

Remembering sweet smelling Dutch apple pies
Vanilla and cinnamon
Flaky crust and golden brown dough
Topped with ice cream melting by the second
Under the hot surface of the pie

Remembering creme de menth brownies
Slathered with green mint frosting
The smell of chocolate and Christmas

Remembering hot, steamy chicken noodle soup
Thick, smooth noodles
Chicken baked and blended with herbs
Spices sprinkled in the flavorful broth

Remembering thick, hot lasagna
With layers and layers
Of melted mozzarella cheese
Soft noodles
Rich, red sauce
Ground beef  

Remembering fondly
And still enjoying
How delicious life is
With a loving, baking grandmother

Springtime Landscape

Springtime green all around

Grass dotted with wildflowers

Dandelions

Yellow and white

Remember when you were a little kid,

And you were told that if 

You blew the puffs off an dandelion,

The wish would come true?

Those little, magical, wish-granting puffs

Dance and trip through the air
Spiraling and turning circles

Loops and figure-eights

Smooth but rough

Sturdy

Steady 

Strong

Tree bark

Leading up, up, up

To the leafy green tops,

With branches exploding off in all directions

Leaves floating 

Birds singing

Eye-catching flowers waiting by the deep green doors

Everything's blooming

Bright colors

Bursting from every corner

Wild orange

Sunshine yellow

Pearly white

Springtime

Soliloquy

There's a world full of pleasure
There's a world full of hate
There's a world full of treasure
There's a world full of great
There's a world full of madness
There's a world full of pain
There's a world full of empty
There's a world full of gain
There's a world full of truth
There's a world full of pretends
There's a world full of beginnings
There's a world full of ends
There's a world full of fictional
There's a world full of real
There's a world full of conviction
There's a world full of appeal
There's a world full of timeless
There's a world full of gray
It all just depends
Where you feel like going today

The Bitter Pretending

~Writing prompt: Write a poem where the main character pretends to be someone else~

She laughs along like nothing's wrong

Every single day

Pretending that she is where she belongs
And knows the right words to say

She knows deep down

She knows it well

She knows she doesn't fit in, she can tell

So she chooses to play this game of pretend

Everyday

Weeks on end

It's a bitter game with no clear solution

She can't end it or find a resolution 

It takes more than courage to 'just be yourself'

It takes the strength of a mountain

To some, it comes easy

To others, not so 

And some, their strength can come and then go

She flips back her hair

And hangs with the crowd

Pretending to be popular, confident, loud

Pretending to be one of the crew

Just another of the pack

Nothing special or new

But deep down she's got the brains of a scholar

Even though she couldn't possibly feel any smaller

She feels like she's nothing but she's something new

And she waits for the day

To prove it to you

Castaway

     If the stars collide and the moon is right

I'll set this bottle out tonight

It'll float right out into the sea

Under the waves, away from me

And maybe you'll find it from far away

And look inside at what this has to say

And maybe you'll decide to write a reply

Perhaps not before ten years have gone and gone by

But maybe it'll wash up back on this beach

And rest in the sand, close within reach

And a kid will find it tomorrow

In the same place it started before

My shiny, green glass bottle

Resting upon the soft shore

Or it could be the note will toss and will turn

And what it says, no one will ever learn

Maybe it's doomed to be a castaway

Never in one place it will stay

Always on the go

Never to be found

Never to feel the solid ground

Or maybe it'll fall into your hands

You'll find upon the warm golden sands

You'll read this long ramble I've chosen to write,

I'll most likely never know

After I send it tonight

Spring Haiku

Everything's alive
The lunch crew moves back outside
Finally, fresh air

I come to class red
Been playing games all through lunch
Marks the start of spring

Listen in closely
There are about five birds' songs
Serenading us

It's just uplifting
Life looks a little brighter
With a little sun

The smell of cut grass
Pine needles (my favorite)
Swirl around the air

The sun covers town
Dew sparkles on the green lawn
Morning in springtime

Evenings are lighter
The stars seem to shine brighter
Morning comes quicker

Letter From the Battlefield

October 19th, 1863

Dear Joana, 

Are you well? 

I miss your voice every morning

I miss the house

I miss the yard

I miss the kids

Are they well?

Tell them I'll be home soon

I shot a man this morning

I ended another human being's life

They said I should be proud

I should feel accomplished

But how can I tell the kids it's wrong to kill,

That it's something that they should never do?

The blood does not wash off one's hands

One's soul

One's being

There is no undoing

One human

Destroying another

It is a feeling I am new to

I do not care for it

I have not a taste for blood

The battlefield is huge

Huge is an understatement

We are synchronized as one

Marching step by step

When I face the enemy,

I see another human

I wonder if that's what the other soldiers see,

Or if they take more pride in killing than I

I enjoy the company of one soldier, however

He and I tell stories by the fire late at night when the battle has ceased

He has some interesting tales

I don't want you to worry about me

I will survive

Tell the kids

I'll be home

I promise

I'll be home

I like my home life far too much to die

So don't fret 

I'll always come home

Tell Margo and John I love them

And I miss them

Don't let them cry for me

Tell them I'll be home

With love,

Private Nathaniel Keegan

Be Careful What You Wish For...

"Be careful what you wish for--

You may just get it"

You may get everything you ask for

You may get all you want

All you think you want

But what happens next?

What if it doesn't make you happy?

Not all wishes were meant to come true

Is it a recipe for happiness?

Or a recipe for disaster?
Be careful what you wish for

It just might come true

Messy Cursive and Truth (Continuation of Charles Simic's Poem)

"The mail truck goes down the coast
Carrying a single letter"
Down the calm street it rolls
Not a breath of breeze blows
Inside the letter lies the key to a heart
Words poured onto a single page
Words of love
Folded into a little white envelope
And sealed up with a stamp
Inside,
Are the all the words he was too afraid
To tell her in person.
The sky is crystal clear
The sun is shining
The air is warm
It is a special day.
One long letter
Written in messy cursive and truth.
He loves her

Victim/Kidnapper

The street was dark

Dark enough to hide under
Dark enough to wear like a cloak

I didn't mean to be alone

I was supposed to meet a friend 

My friend was late

Too late

A car pulled up

Headlights streamed into the darkness

Like two eyes penetrating the mask of the night

I squinted into the lights

Trying to catch a glimpse of the driver

At instinct,

I thought it must be my good friend coming to pick me up

But no

A figure opened the car door

I turned away

I started in the opposite direction

I could hear the swishing of heavy pants in the pitch black

I began to run

Rough, dry hands caught my arms and pinned them behind me

I started to scream

One cracked hand covered my mouth, muffling my words

The night air was a blur

The ground spiraled towards me and I hit it hard

I began to fight with everything I had

I was on the ground

My attacker above me

I slung my fists 

Headlights poured through the night

My friend rushed from the car door

Phone in hand

Police on speaker

My attacker took off into the night

Driving away from the police being called

Two headlights 

Disappearing

Through

The

Night

~ New point of view ~

He needed money desperately

He couldn't hold a job

He couldn't make a living

Ransom, he decided

He was desperate

He spied a woman in the darkness

She walked all alone

He pushed down any guilty thoughts

He needed money

He wondered how much he'd get 

How much her friends and family would pay

To get her back

Probably a pretty ransom

He saw the woman turn and run away

He had to act now

Dreams are Just Plans for Tomorrow

A dream is a pull

Dragging you along 

Some days, it's so powerful

It feels like you're just moving through

The motions of the day

No thought 

Not thinking about anything else

Faking it

Until you can get where you want to be

Pep-talks in the mirror

Posters and photos littering the walls

A dreamer is very familiar with these 

Pressure on yourself to achieve

Too much, sometimes

Your life begins to feel like it's just

Leading up to that moment

Moving mechanically through the actions of the day 

To get there

Until you get there

Constant reminders posted on bulletin boards

Walls

Phone backgrounds

Every dreamer knows this

Everyday reminders of where you're trying go

What you're trying to do

Sometimes it's hard to sit still

It's hard to make yourself "switch it off" 

When you go to school
Work

Homework

Every dreamer knows that feeling

Some dreams are just dreams

Dreams of faraway places

Fantasy worlds

Some dreams for more than dreams

Some dreams are plans

Plans for the future

Some dreams are your future

Dreams are just plans for tomorrow

Nervous Poem

How do you deal with acceptance?
How do you deal with rejection?
How do you give yourself a break
And stop expecting perfection?
How do you keep nerves from eating you up?
How do you relax and glow?
How do you smile like everything's great
And cover your nerves with a show?
I wish I could see in the future
Just a little bit past today
And see if I'm happy of how things go
Or whether I'm hiding away
I hope things go according
I hope I wind up okay
I wish I could just see a little bit further
And see from tomorrow, today
I tell myself to stop being silly
I've been waiting for this for a year
So why have I practiced and practiced and practiced,
And only now, sets the fear?

Scope Magazine

In "Scope Magazine," I read about reasons why you should sing. I absolutely agree- singing is good in all scenarios!! The magazine says that singing can:

-Release molecules in your body that help fight infection

-Bring oxygen into the blood, which is good for your heart

-Release endorphin in your brain, which makes you happy

You don't have to be good at singing to benefit from it- this is open to literally anyone and everyone! Singing is proven to have a calming effect on people. Next time you're stressed about something, just try singing.

Short Story: Secrets (or "Looking Up")

         "Fiona?" Mara leaned thoughtfully over the park bench. She looked pensive. Her blue eyes were focused straight ahead.
     "Yeah?" Fiona lay lazily across the park bench, a serene smile on her face.
     "If I tell you something, do you promise never to tell it to anyone else?"

     Fiona opened her eyes and sat up, swinging her legs to the ground. "Yeah, sure! Go ahead."

     "I wanted to tell you since you're my closest friend. I'm still wrapping my head around it. I've known for about three weeks. Sorry I didn't tell you sooner. I hope you can understand. See, my mom took me to a doctor's office a few weeks ago and they did some testing on me. They asked me questions and such. They called back a few days later and told me to come back in. They gave me a medication for depression."

Fiona's stomach clenched fiercely. "What?" She asked, full of confusion.

     "They said I have depression. Don't worry though...I'm taking medicine now so everything is okay."

     Fiona's eyebrows raised. She knew deep down that Mara was telling the truth, but she felt she had to deny it. "I've known you since we were eight." She said slowly, "that isn't right. You're such a happy person. I've never noticed you getting especially sad before. You aren't depressed. You were having a bad week or something."

     Mara frowned. "Look...I don't know how they can tell it's more than just a bad week but they can. I never really thought of it as being 'depressed' either, but now that I know and I have medicine, I feel ten times better than I used to. It's working, Fiona. I feel better."

     Fiona didn't want to believe something was wrong with her friend, so she stayed silent. It was a hard thing to accept.

     "But how? I mean, come on. You're always happy."

     Mara closed her eyes briefly. Trying to keep her patience, she spoke clearly and coolly. "I know it's hard but you honestly can't tell me how I feel when no one's around."

     Fiona was silent. Mara didn't say anything more. The girls stayed in the park for hours afterwards. They sat there in silence, until eventually, Fiona lay a hand on Mara's. Still in silence, Mara smiled.

Spring Break 2017

My spring break was relaxing, enjoyable, and fun. Over the week, I did a number of fun things including seeing close friends Wednesday and Thursday, and walking around the neighborhood with my mom, but I'd have to say my favorite time happened this Friday and Saturday. My cousins and grandma live in a small town in Indiana about three hours away from us, and my mom and I decided to go visit them.

Unfortunately, both my cousins and grandma have cats, so my allergic brothers and dad couldn't go. One of the highlights of the trip for me was the drive there and back. My mom knows that I love musicals and I got her into my favorites. So on the trip there, we played all of our favorite Broadway songs, including the Newsies Broadway album, Oliver!, Tuck Everlasting, and Wicked. It was a great trip for me, because I cannot listen to these songs quietly. I tell myself to relax, listen to the song quietly, and just enjoy it. This lasts for a about three seconds and then next thing I know, I'm belting Newsies at top volume, very very dramatically.

So, for the car trip, I belted out every single song we listened to. (This included singing along to Fagin's songs in Oliver!.) For the full three hours, I sang and sang and sang and sang. It was heaven for me. Seeing my cousins and grandma was fantastic. My grandma and I went out to the mall, then we came and surprised my cousins, and had a cookout. I spent the night with my cousin, Ali, ate chocolate chip pancakes for breakfast, and played outside.

One of my favorite parts about their house, is their swing. In their huge backyard, my cousins have a swing made out of a two ropes and a board. It doesn't just go back and forth. At least, not how we do it. Their swing is able to wrap around the tree, with you on it. You then push off so you unwind, and you ride in a wide half circle so when you come back, you wrap around the other end. It's a long, slow, amazing ride. You go far, far out, and it always catches a breeze. Sometimes you spin when you go. It is the very definition of the feeling of freedom. Above the grass, wind in my hair, flying free.

On the way home the next day, my mom and I played the same songs and sure enough, I sang along all over again. I love that we did that two days in a row. We had so much fun together.

I became so obsessed with these songs, that yesterday, I ended up having to be told to go upstairs because my mom was working hard in the kitchen and I was about four feet away, practically on my knees, dramatically belting out the final note to an incredibly dramatic song, oblivious to the fact that my mom was working. "Could you do that elsewhere?" Was the nice way of saying "I'm trying to work!!"

I've also been making plans for myself for the summer. I will be auditioning for the community theater musical, All Shook Up, this Thursday. If I don't get in, I have a backup Beauty and the Beast audition in May. I'll also be attending a musical theater camp over the summer, and hopefully putting together an official actor's resume and headshots. We also found out about an amazing sounding program where you send in an audition film of yourself singing to a CCM musical theater program that takes place on U.C campus. It's one of the best programs in the country. If you get in, you will be in a musical theater intensive in which you will travel to Atlanta, Georgia to the country musical theater festival and meet with professional Broadway actors and actresses for advice. It's not until August but I'm in planning!

Irrational

Childhood fears are usually irrational
Silly
Ridiculous 
But still very much there
I had a fear of being alone
When one parent would leave, 
I would fear that they'd never come back
That something horrible would happen to them
I began to picture what my life would be like without them
I collected the belongings that had been given to me by them 
I began to run through memories in my head 
Great times I'd spent with them
Anxiety and worry crept up over me
I tried to keep it at bay
But if they were even ten minutes later than what they said they'd be,
I would worry myself to death
I'd sit quietly in my bedroom
Staring out the window
Watching
Waiting
Hoping
Waiting to see our old silver minivan roll into the driveway
Fingering with a necklace or some little dollar store trinket that they'd gotten me
Feeling relieved, safer when that old van finally would come
They always came home
But it took me a little bit to see that

If I Had a Ticket To Anywhere...

If I had a free ticket to anywhere, it would be a truly impossible decision. 

How could I ever decide?

From Sherwood Forest, England 

To Dublin, Ireland

To traveling back in time to the 60's or the 50's

To "the greatest city in the world," New York City, finally see a real Broadway show (Or better yet, be in it)

I could take my ticket and use it to unlock a book

Jump inside the pages without a second thought

Watch my favorite scenes unfold

Be there to witness them

See my beloved characters in the flesh

Again, how could I ever not? 

I can't choose one and deny the others 

My ticket would have to be take me everywhere

Fictional

Fantastical

Real

Classical

Anywhere and everywhere. Limitless. 

Scope Magazine Article

     In the "Scope" magazine article "The Girl Who Played Football," the author writes about a fourteen year old girl named Rachel Eaves who became the captain of her football team - while being the only girl on the team. It talks about how she got into football, what it was like being the only girl, and what it taught her.

     I really like the idea of the interview - it shows that playing football doesn't take being a boy. Girls can play too. I myself am not a fan of football but I say, if you are, even if you're a girl, GO for it! This article just proves that a girl can succeed in football. I agree that not enough girls either think they can or are given the chance to do so. Girls need to know that they have just as much worth and just as much strength and endurance as boys do. There are no boy's sports and girl's sports. 

     This being said, I also respect Rachel's choice to quit. I absolutely think that if it is safe, a girl can keep playing in high school but while girls are JUST as strong as boys, they are naturally somewhat smaller and that could be definitely be a danger in high school. Putting yourself in a position like that is not a good choice. I definitely think this is a great article that has a message that should be heard a little more clearly!

Haiku

It can bring comfort 

Is isolation a crime?

My mind debates it

Worth the Risk

Have you ever loved something

Not just with your heart,

but your whole being?

Have you ever felt that lightning bolt

That strikes through your mind, body, and soul

Every time you explore it?

Like a fire lighting in your veins 

Have you ever just known

Felt in your heart 

That you can and will spend your time

Your energy

Your mind

Your everything

On that one thing?
That feeling that allows you to 

Close your eyes and envision 

Your dream 

And it's so vivid that you can really believe 

It's going to come true
And you can tell that it's not just a passing phase 

And maybe it comes with risks

But some things are worth risk-taking for 

That's all there is to it

And maybe you don't like risks

Maybe the idea of taking them scares you to death

But you just know

You can just feel 

That some risks are worth taking

For doing what it is you love

Welcome to My Blog!

Hi! I'm Gillian and this is my writing blog. My favorite genre of writing is poetry and I absolutely love reading. My favorite novels are Robin Hood by Howard Pyle and To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. Though I love poetry, I also write short stories and factual posts. Besides writing, I am a fairly serious ballet/pointe dancer and have a passion for musical theater and nature.  Thank you for checking out my posts and I hope you enjoy them!