Dad

my dad was a drunkard
he was the type of man who remembered the name of every rifle in his spare room
but he couldn’t remember the date of his daughter’s birthday
he savored the taste of the whiskey burning its way down his throat
but he didn’t take the time to appreciate how fast his daughter was growing up without him
he appreciated war and tanks, beer and the newspaper, stale popcorn and old movies
he however did not care for report cards and school invitations, the sound of amateurly played violin and stain of dye on the floor, fresh picked out homecoming dresses or the sound of preteen laughter
he enjoyed giving bruises and taking out all the anger he ever pent up on people who showed nothing but love for him and his angry eyes and pouted bottom lip
he’d see my curled hair and nice pink new dress and see the tiniest hint of lipgloss on my eight year old lips after picture day
and he’d picture how he could change that smile into a look of fear
or grief
he took as many tolls as he pleased because he grew up with the saying “one day you’re going to be the man of the house, james, you have to take control”
and he did
anger pulsed through him more than his blood and he’d strike because he didn’t know how to express
any other way
we are told that violence isn’t the answer but I grew up with the protagonist of an action movie
killing the villain in the most inhumane way
and you accept it as rational, if the heroes can do it
it’s okay
but what do you do when you’re eight years old
and you’re convinced you’re the villain?

A First Kiss

Darkness. It surrounded him everywhere at all times, no matter the time of day or the months of the year. It was frustrating but peaceful all at once. His sensory was usually overloaded by touching or smelling and the occasional taste or maybe the sweet sound of her voice.

His favorite scent was in spring when the air was a perfect mix of dry and wet on his skin and he’d smell rain fresh in the air. It was a savory smell that reminded him of her, and the way she’d describe with vibrancy and precise detail of the beauty of the flowers, the blooming of the cherry blossoms on the tree in his front yard, or maybe how the dew lay perfectly still on the blades of grass in the luminescent morning. She made spring sound so beautiful, he didn’t feel the need to see it himself, because when she talked she made him imagine heaven. The sweet smell of rain in the air is what he lived for.

His favorite touch was his dog’s soft fur on his hands, a downy light texture that was irresistible. She told him his dog was her favorite because it was utterly adorable. Listening to her cooing at his dog and scruffing up the collar sent a feeling to his heart that made it flutter. That was the moment he knew he loved her. She wasn’t pitiful to him, she wasn’t sympathetic to him, she was pure and kind and she enjoyed him. She treated him like a person and not a tragedy. He loved her with all the might and strength he could give to someone like her.

His least favorite sound however, was listening to her describe herself. She sounded so lackluster; so unexcited to be so burdened with a task of describing how she looked.

“I’m not stunning; I’m not some sort of supermodel, Colten. I have brown skin, brown eyes, and black hair. I’m 5”6, 135 pounds. I’m just, I don’t know… average?” She told him, finishing with an uncertain puff of forced laughter.

“Don’t say that.”

“I’m not lying to you. I just don’t think there’s too much to say about how I look. I have a splotchy birthmark on my right arm, and that’s about all that’s special about me.”

They were sitting on his couch covered in a couple blankets and honestly there was nothing he cherished more than this time with her. But he couldn’t stand it right now. He reached out both of his arms and felt around until he reached one of hers, and slid his hands upwards until he reached the smooth curve of her shoulder.

“What are you doing?”

“Just let me. Please, I want to feel what you look like. Can I?”

He could feel her head bob before she mumbled a quiet “Sure.”

He lightly grazed his hands up her neck before reaching her jaw. His fingertips traced lines on her face, trying to commit every soft curve and jagged edge into his memory. Her sharp cheekbones, the perfect slope of her nose, her baby soft forehead, and her eyelashes coated with a thin layer of mascara. He ran his thumbs along her lips slowly; they were coated in a sleek lip gloss that was slightly sticky. A warm feeling was growing in his chest which made him nervous, he never felt like this before with anyone else. But he didn’t want to be with anyone else, no one else could make the earth sound as beautiful and heavenly as her. He rested one hand on her cheek, and let it all pour out.

“Anabella, I wish you would understand that you’re beautiful. You describe the world with so much passion while other people describe it with apathy and hate. They hate the cracks on the sidewalks and wilted flowers in the fall, but you always pick out the best in everything. You pick out the things you don’t like about yourself and see yourself as average but I can’t even imagine a world where that would be true. I love you. God, I love you so much.”

She put a gentle hand onto the one he was resting on her cheek, a tear dripping onto it. He could feel her smile, and he swore it made his heart skip a beat.

“I love you too.”

She leaned into him, and he closed the distance. It was a slow, steady kiss that made him feel a fire. She pulled away and he dropped his hand onto the pile of blankets. There were a ton of thoughts flying through his head, so many feelings and eruptions of elation. His bones were churning and his insides were a puddle.

But when she rested her hand on his he felt calm and at ease, dawning a smile that couldn’t be wiped off.

He just had his first kiss.

And after, he realized his new favorite taste was the hint of cheap strawberry lip gloss she’d left behind.

sonnet for a dancer

moving around the room, she does her dance

feet rough on the floor; she shakes her hips

eyes focused on my neck, i’m put in a trance

flips her hair to her left side with puckered lips

sweaty and hot but she still has endless grace

the muscles on her back are sculpted like art

she waltzes all over yet keeps a stern face

one thing I know is she dances with her heart

her feet stop dead on the floor for a break

she grabs a towel because her sweat drips down

her beaming smile she shoots at me is not fake

her short sweet breaths could be my favorite sound

she is my dancer, of whom I adore so

how she looks at me, I never want to go

Emma Kang

Emma kang loves to use slang

With a zoop and a bop and bibbity bang

She loves the weeknd

and the way he sang

she’s lovely and incredible

and loves things that are edible

but when you see her it can feel kinda dreadable

but anyways shes sweet and full of love

it feels like shes been blessed with something from above!

I hate her

my life

dogs

Elephants Are the Best

Elephants are really interesting and intelligent animals! They are uber adorable and intelligent!

Elephants are the biggest land mammals (however, not the tallest) and are the only mammal that can’t jump.

Elephants are one of the most emotional animals in the world. When they find bodies or skeletons of deceased elephants they grieve the elephants, even if they don’t know the elephants. They rescue and protect other animals like monkeys and dogs, as well as other elephants. They have astounding memories. Elephants wrap their trunks together as a sign of affection and as a greeting.

baby elephants holding trunks

Elephants care for each other deeply, if a baby elephant complains, the whole family will run over to make sure it is okay.

Once a newborn elephant was rejected by his mother and cried for five hours nonstop. After they treated his injuries they brought him back to his mother his mother kicked him again. The calf started crying again before the doctors could even console and treat the baby elephant.

i will adopt him

Elephants are very smart, they use tools and use their trunks as a tool! Elephants can mimic the sounds they hear. Elephants are excellent problem solvers and can problem solve to reach their food when put under tests. Elephants are very self aware and can recognize themselves when a mirror is placed in front of them. They perform death rituals for other dead elephants by stroking the carcass with their trunks and feet, and spend two days standing and staying near the body. They also self medicate by chewing the leaves from the tree family Boraginaceae. Art and music are also two talents and hobbies of elephants.

Elephants are overall super intellectual creatures and one of the best animals on this planet!

So I Found a Key

It was a really hazy afternoon and I was hungry to an insatiable point, and honestly there was nothing to eat in the house. The pantrys were stocked of course, but with nothing peaking my interest. I plucked a couple wrinkled dollars out of my nearly empty wallet and stuffed my phone into my pocket. I shuffled down the stairs and stopped right at the door yelling a quick “I’m going a couple blocks down to get some food, mom! I’ll be back soon, love you!” met with a sweet toned, “Alright sweetie, be back before dark alright? It’s getting late.” I closed the door behind me and stepped into the breezy afternoon. I started walking along the sidewalk casually hearing the satisfying crunch of leaves beneath my boots. A chill pricked the back of my neck and I got an uneasy feeling in my chest. There wasn’t anyone around, or at least anyone anyone that I could see, but it felt like someone was. I could see a Wendy’s a block or two down the street so I quickened up my pace. I could just grab a quick burger and some fries and head home, if I had some spare time I could stop by the nearest bookstore and shop around. I reached the Wendy’s and opened the door with a high pitched squeak. The girl behind the counter looked just about my age and greeted me with a phony smile.

“May I take your order?”

I told her my usual order and waited in a booth, taking out my phone and scrolling through my contacts when suddenly a new text popped up from an unknown number.

Expecting it to be a wrong number I opened it up.

“hey dude, it’s liam. got a new phone and i remembered ur number lol, what’s up?”

“nothing much man, where you at?”

“just at home, where are you?”

My food was done and I went up to get it, sitting back down and taking a savory bite out of my burger.

“wendy’s dude, late afternoon dinner i guess haha”

It continued like that for a while before I finished and decided to head out, it was getting pretty dark anyways. My mom would kill me if I was out too late.

I opened the squeaky door I came in through but my foot bumped something on the way out. My gaze immediately dropped to the ground and there laying in all it’s ordinariness, was a key.

I picked up the key, it was sleek and bronze and dirty around the edges. I pulled out my phone and snapped a picture and sent it to liam with the caption, “there are directions that came with the key, looped through the hole. should i follow it before i go home?”

Within seconds I had a reply that read, “definitely lol” which was very simple but I decided to go with it.

The sun wasn’t quite down yet so I had some time to kill. The first direction said to walk towards 88th ave. which was just beyond my neighborhood. It was a bit chilly outside so I tugged my jacket tighter around myself. Soon I made it to my house, and tried to pass nonchalantly without having my mom see me and ask questions. I finally made it to the avenue which I haven’t been to too many times because the roads around there lead to the rural area in town. It said to turn left and walk down until you see a dirt road with a couple fake owls surrounding it. I made down the relatively thin road and, wow what a surprise, it was eerie. I thought I already had a bad feeling, but this place intensified it by like a hundred. I don’t know what I expected to be honest. Rural dirt road? Did I really think it sounded pleasant?

I checked the directions attached to the key again and it said there should be a metal dump yard in the distance. It appeared that this back road was a way for people to get to some rusty old metal dump yard so they could throw away their old truck parts. I continued slightly hesitant now, the sun was setting slowly tonight. I made my way into the junkyard and looked around, there was a somewhat big building with a metal door and lock on it. I suspected the key to open this door but when I came closer I realized the lock was already busted open. My stomach dropped, I was scared but I was too curious to quit.

I slowly pushed the rusty door and entered a room containing 3 other rooms. The directions said to unlock the second door with a bright white number 2 painted onto it. I went up to the weathered black door, worse than the one that led in here, the bronze key dangling from my index finger. I unlocked the lock on the door hastily in a rush to get in and out. So I could just see what was inside and go back to the comfort of my room.

Opening the door I was met with a rancid odor. The room looked disgusting and it had a smell to match it. Suddenly my phone vibrated in my pocket, and of course it was none other than Liam.

“hey dude did you get there yet?”

“yeah dude it’s creepy. i think i’m gonna get going home in a couple.”

“haha goodluck. hope you enjoy room 2.”

My blood ran cold. I never told him where I was. This wasn’t him.

The door slammed shut behind me. My adrenaline was pumping now, I threw myself against the door, it was locked from the outside. I inspected the room, almost pitch black, save for the one light bulb hanging limply from the ceiling. The walls were dented all over and seemed to be made out of nothing but metal. There were blood stains on the wall, adding to the sick metallic smell. I noticed underneath the light bulb there was something lying on the ground. When I saw what it was, my heart stopped.

It was a picture of me on my computer, shot through my bedroom window, taken two nights ago.

Exclusive

She woke up to a dry inhalation of frosty air. Images were fuzzy in her mind, nothing was too clear and her mind was muddled. She rubbed at her forehead and tried her best to take in her surroundings. Twigs and leaves rested on the ground dirt with splotches of frail grass. She heard the babbling of a creek nearby and solemn wails coming from some unknown source, making her slightly anxious. She pushed herself up onto her feet covered with dark leather boots caked with mud.

Jellyfish Lake

When someone suggests the idea of swimming with jellyfish your first thought is “Nope, no way.” But in the Rock Islands of Palau there is a lake, appropiately named “Jellyfish Lake.” They contain golden jellyfish which don’t sting!

The lake is covered with natural sunlight and the golden jellyfish bask in it, they need the sunlight to survive. The jellyfish have an algae like substance that lives in their tissue named zooxanthellae that is nourished by the sunlight. So in other words, the jellyfish just chill around the lake and sunbathe. The jellyfish have been thriving in the lake for about 12,000 years! Over those years the jellyfish adapted to the lake and lost their stingers due to the fact they have no predators to protect themselves against. These golden jellyfish are totally safe to swim and snorkel with! You can hold them and play with them and remain absolutely sting free.

You can even take selfies with the cute squishy looking jellyfish.

Richard Schneider / Via Flickr: picturecorrect

Just imagine swimming in a huge lake full of hundreds- maybe thousands of harmless jellyfish!

Richard Schneider / Via Flickr: picturecorrect

Visiting and swimming in this lake is definitely on my bucket list now!

Bibliography:

Alba, Alejandro. “There’s A Lake Where You Can Swim With               Jellyfish That Won’t Sting You.” BuzzFeed. Buzzfeed, 8               July 2014. Web. 06 Oct. 2014.

“Golden Jellyfish Facts — National Geographic.” National                    Geographic. National Geographic, n.d. Web. 06 Oct. 2014.

“Things To Do.” Palau Visitors Authority – Things To Do. Palau           Visitors Authorities, 2003. Web. 06 Oct. 2014.

Literature Throughout My Life

I’ve read a fair amount of books within these past years, some have been positive reads, some that met me with distaste, and some that I was neutral towards. Many books have peaked my interest to disappoint, some were underrated reads that were really influential and were absolutely great reads, and some fell in between.

As far as good reads, one of my most unexpected favorite books was Animal Farm by George Orwell. I read it last year for a book report which I originally thought would be monotonous and boring. Many of my friends thought it was rather bland and weird, considering talking animals were creating their own superior-animal-society that was utterly corrupt. I thought it was an extremely interesting book, and once I started reading it I could hardly put it down. The plot was strong and had me wondering what would happen every other page, with an ending that was slightly abrupt, but nonetheless superb. It made me think so much and had my mind stimulated the entire time which is one of my preferences when reading. It had heavy subliminal messaging to communism and specific events in history which also kept me thinking. The Hunger Games trilogy by Suzanne Collins may seem cliche but it was also a positive reading experience, I read the whole trilogy over the course of a 3 day weekend back in 2011 (6th grade). I cried, I laughed, and the book just made me feel so many emotions and that’s a great quality in a book/ book series because that’s when I feel like I’m invested in the story. It was thought provoking and made me reflect on our own society and possible similarities. Suzanne Collins provided us with a strong female lead protagonist which I completely admire. Overall the books really inspired a time in my life where I was experiencing my first real influential reading experiences and the books were my gateway into young adult literature. I have plenty more enthralling books i’ve read but these two were the first two that came to mind.

For neutral reading experiences, the most blatant one to me was the Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams in that I read in the 7th grade. It was well written, maybe too well written for my comprehension skills at the time. It was excellently written and had an interesting plot that I adored, but the words and phrases used in the book made it difficult for me to understand the first read through. It sort of left me dazed when I had to reread a sentence or paragraph multiple times, it was tiring and wore out my brain. It had an outstanding and original plot and intellectual writing.

I haven’t read too many bad books but obviously, my Twilight phase in the 3rd grade led me to owning a really atrocious book series and also led me to the most negative reading experiences, ever. I didn’t enjoy them at all, I really just enjoyed the hype surrounding “Team Edward! Team Jacob!” (and at the time, yes I was Team Edward.) I can barely even remember details from the book although having read the first book three times. It was unremarkable writing and the storyline? Boring. I’m not even sure what the main plot was because the unintelligible love-triangle took the spotlight throughout the books. The book series was so poorly written, it was no wonder it appealed to such a young underdeveloped audience. The Twilight series was just the worst book series I’ve ever read.

I’m looking forward this year to reading more books, possibly to expand my tastes and to go through more negative, positive, and neutral reading experiences!

~