Looks like Rain

Walking through pounds and pounds of mud and muck, and rain, and sludge I was glad that I had packed those trash bags with me. However, that’s not to say that I didn’t question its oddity, and my own, the entire time I trudged along mile for mile trying my best to block out the rain and dreariness. But that was easier said than done with everyone around me, dressed just as crazily as I, serving as a constant reminder to our present predicament.

To my right was a middle-aged man holding a big, black umbrella and orange draw-string addidas bag, he was wearing a black and orange rain coat, and shorts complete with clear trash bags over his sneakers. Others, like the man behind me, chose the more limited approach such as the simple poncho over regular marathon clothes. I on the other hand was the extreme…the exception to the rule…the one they would be talking about as they trudged on. This would be because I happened to be wearing every form of rain protection possible. Over my head I wore a bright yellow poncho, and a regular cut out black traditional trash bag over my waste reaching down past my knees. Over my sneakers, much like the man to my right, I wore clear trash bags to keep my shoes from getting ruined, either through mud, or rain, or any such annoyance. However, I will admit that it was quite the challenge to walk in, especially at a fast pace as I enjoyed.

Up ahead was a lady talking to one of her friends, and I wondered what they were talking about. Not paying attention, I tripped right over a hole in the ground and ripped one of the bags on my feet. I was so upset. This meant I would have to step outside of the hoard of people and re-apply another trash bag in place of my damaged one. Quickly, tactfully, I pulled the wet, muddy bag from my foot and opened the new one, slipped it flawlessly over my right sneaker and jumped back into step with the mass. Had I not stopped, I was sure that I would have been three markers from where I was now, so I decided to pick up the pace.

It was raining harder than ever now, and I could hardly hear myself think. Exhilarated yet annoyed, I listened to the constant patter of rain pelting the top of my poncho, until its sound become a monotone hum in the background…at least for now. I wondered how close we were to our next rest spot, but then looking down at my filthy, mud caked trash bags I thought “Who cares???” “Bring it on!!!”

Horizon of Heaven

“Horizon of Heaven”
By: David Luong

“Claire…Claire honey are you going to give us an answer, or continue to daydream out the window for the rest of class?” questioned my Pre-Calc teacher as she walked over to my desk peering down at my empty notebook and pointing at the board. “I’ve asked you the same question three times.” “Do you think you can-”

“Five.” I said, almost instantly without taking my eyes off the spot that they had been fixated on since the moment class began.” “The answer’s five, and no, I’m not, because you can’t continue something you weren’t doing in the first place.”

“So what would you call what you were doing then?” she asked, confused.
“The answer’s five. Am I correct?”
“Yes, but you never-”
“Alright then, so it’s five.” And wiping away a tear I turned my attention back to the window…the sky…Tommy.

***

“Do you remember when he spilled the beer all over the table and then drank it up right from there?” “Wasn’t that great?” “It was great right?” “Wasn’t that great?” But she wasn’t laughing. She was crying, sobbing, shaking uncontrollably, and holding me tighter than I’d ever been held in my entire life. Her hair was a mess, and her makeup was running wildly, but comparatively she might have been the best-looking one there…she always was. And her eyes. Those bright, blue, beautiful eyes were the same as always…except today they were like nothing I had ever seen before- strangers, and it startled me. It all did. Why was this happening? Why to him? Why us? I had so many questions and felt so many emotions. I was more overwhelmed than I had ever been in my entire life…ever.
“Yes,” I said, tears streaming down my face…“that was great.”

***

Walking into the room I felt a chill go down my spine. This was surreal. I felt disconnected, like I was watching the whole thing take place before my eyes…except it wasn’t my life at all, it was someone else’s altogether. Then I saw him. But only for a second before I pulled my eyes away, forcing myself to be strong…if not for myself, for them.

First it was my Aunt, his mother.
“Oh Claire, you look so beautiful.” “And your hair…it’s down!” And then a whisper, “for Tommy.” I hugged her and kissed the side of her head, letting my tears fall silently among her shoulders, and then without a word continued on. David-a brother, Danny-a cousin, my brother and his girlfriend, Melissa, a cousin and good friend like me, and then Karen…with those eyes-a sister.

Holding me in her arms she said, “You know honey, I’m so glad you want to become a teacher…that way you can teach people to be kind and loving like he was.” And wiping a tear from her eye and my own I said, “Of course I will…I promise.”

It was getting harder before it got easier, and now the next in line was Danielle…his fiancée. Walking over to her, I started to cry almost immediately. They loved each other so, so much and seeing her like this was practically unbearable. She reached out and pulled me into her, cradling me in her arms and holding me tight against her so I could smell the light scent of her hair and feel her tears meshing with mine. Then in a whisper barely audible she began, “He was always so proud of you. You made him so, so proud. And he’d talk about you all the time. He loved you Claire, loved you so much. And Halloween. You know that was a special holiday to him…I want you to come to Pumpkin Carving with me next year.”

And whispering back in her ear I said with tears still falling, “I wouldn’t miss is for the world.”

There was only one left in the line now, and that was Steven. And reaching him, his and my eyes red from grief, he told me, “You know, he really loved his cousins.”
And I said, “I know…we loved him too.”

***

The last flower had been placed, and the cars were filing away now, but I couldn’t help but notice how the sky looked as we drove off. How the sun could be seen breaking through the clouds as if to say “Cheer up, I’m here.” And it was then that it hit me. That I realized that that was our Tommy. Our sun. Our warmth. Our hope.

***

Dear Ms. Bradley,
I’d call it…talking in class.
- Claire

Community Project (Pieces of Hope)

Hey guys!!!

Seeing how my concept is Hope I was thinking about doing a community project called "Pieces of Hope." I was thinking about having it go something like this:

-First I'll make a whole big pile of tiny slips of paper.
-Next, I'm going to write a tiny hopeful quote on each individual slip of paper. For instance, "Don't frown...you never know who's falling in love with your smile," or "A Laugh is a Smile that Bursts," and thousands more.
-I absolutely love quotes, and making people happy, so I think the combination of the two are perfect.
-The next part is the most important.
-I'm going to go out around Norton, out of Norton, to my family, to my friends,to that random person standing in front of me in the Dunkin Donuts line, to anyone...and simply hand them the folded slip of paper and walk away, without saying one word.
-Then, hopefully, if all works out as planned I may just be able to bring a tiny ray of hope and make at least one person's day a little bit better, a little bit brighter...and if I'm lucky, a little bit more hopeful than it originally was.
-I hope it works.
-I can't wait.

Paradox Poem

Stephanie

There's this girl I hardly know, I'll tell you of her life

Of how I never met this girl, of how she came my wife

You see, I saw her walking there upon a busy street

And since no soul was close to her, I matched her fast paced feet

She paused and looked straight in my eyes, and then I knew for sure

This was the girl they'd sent for me, those boys with pent up lore

But soon I noticed she was odd, the sanest girl of all

This crazy ball of hyper, wasn't moving...not at all

Her words came faster than a train with sense the slower making

And as I tried to look away, she looked me back to staying

And in her hands she held a mess of organized lined notes

And glancing quickly at the top, I read the bottom's gloats

In script it begged tonight at seven, say yes, or I'll go crazy

And answered, you know I can't and said, I'm busy being lazy

Let's plan next week, to catch a bite much earlier this time

For now you see I cannot go, not with these words to rhyme

And that's as far as I could get before she turned to see

Excuse me...do I know you sir?

Yes love, you married me.