Strikethrough

Wealth. Poverty.
Arrogance. Humility.

That which is broken,
Replaced. Patched.

Earnings stashed in
An elite bank account.
A dirt worn cup.

Dinner is a stomach filled.
With fallen crumbs.

Excess dollar bills trashed in haste.
The last of the change traded for bread.

A little breeze from
A little pressure of the foot.
Sitting beside the sidewalk.

Lose it all in a moment,
Fall painfully to one's knees.
Stand up, start over.

Audrey Lynn

Still needs work; will be revised.

One Purpose

Are we all the same? No, but we do all go through life with the same purpose: to live. What makes someone humiliate and criticize another? What gives them the right to be the judge and decide the kind of person someone should be? We all have habits, or something we like or do that may not sit well with another, or is just out of the ordinary. So, if we abided by the unspoken rule to ridicule the unconventional, we should all be ridiculing ourselves. Though of course, this is not the case, as many individuals believe in personal perfection, or at least denial of flaws. Few are brave enough to accept a person as a whole, as opposed to picking at their every supposed flaw. Each and every person deserves to be respected for simply being a human being like everyone else.

Let's bring change together.

I am much better off than many, yet I still feel helpless when I see the less fortunate at a level lower than myself. If I had the spare change for everyone I see, I would give it all away without a moment's hesitation. One day I hope to bring change, whether minuscule or grand. Change in any size is still change, and our world is in need of it. In the mean time, I'm going to smile at everyone I see, talk to those who need a kind word, and learn what I can to help better our kind.

It's so easy to pass by with a blind eye, but it takes a certain kind of love and courage to approach a person in need of some change or just a kind word and a genuine smile. How many of us can say we've done that? Saying you will or you want to is wonderful, but do you have the courage to? Or is self-image keeping you from it? We're all capable, and it's time we all act like it, myself included.

Tell me, what have you done?

Enlightenment

My mom and her two grandsons; my nephews.

I have just spent a little over three weeks with my mom and my younger sister in a town where I know no one but the two of them. I have been trying to be someone that I sincerely thought I wanted to be for years now, but it always left me taking for granted the people closest to me: my family. When I found out that what I thought was only going to be a one to two-week visit was actually my staying there for the remainder of my summer, I was annoyed that I would have to leave my friends and plans behind. In arriving, though, I figured that I could make the best out of it. After only a few days, the relationship between my sister and me began to mend itself, and my mom and I began again a new relationship. One that had been delayed because of me. We proceeded to have fun doing simple things like watching movies from my mom's gargantuan collection, playing Sorry!, and shooting each other with sarcastic insults, as any good blood relative in my family would do. During the day, while my mom was working, my sister and I would blast music and be silly, take pictures, clean up, and make dinner. Throughout the day we would talk about things that we never got the chance to do together, once again because I took her, my family, for granted. While those two were asleep, I spent late nights on the phone with either of the two

My beautiful sister.

people outside my blood line who have proven they love me for who I am. Amongst all of this, I finally came to the realization of what I have done wrong in my life so far. I no longer need the people I thought I had before, as I had been proven wrong. I know now the ones who have always been there are still there, even when I didn't seen them before. I have been enlightened this summer; I know who I want to be not only physically, but personally, mentally, and emotionally, as well. I can't ignore what is in front of me anymore, but instead I will appreciate it before I lose it. At 20 years old, I feel more whole than I ever have before. You're never too young or too old to see and appreciate with sincerity what you have.


I know this isn't exactly a "creative splurge," but my last day with my mom and my sister, Rachel, is tomorrow, and these passed few days have hit me hard with overwhelming emotions and realizations. I love my family more than my words could hope to express. I hope this touches someone out there and helps their heart to feel the love that already surrounds them.

Audrey Lynn

Electricity

 

Soft to the touch are the hands I stroke,
My fingers curling and intertwining with his,
Caressing every inch, memorizing each
Curve, crevice, and movement.

Beneath such gentle skin lies the calluses
Formed from pressure and consequence,
Broken blisters of past regret, scars
Visible only to the mind that brushes them.

Still my fingertips kiss the skin with a
Passion that hardly words can speak of,
A stroke so rich, when our hands meet,
The sensation could only be electricity.

Audrey Lynn

Hold on to Your Radiance

Unhappiness, discontentment, dissatisfaction, disappointment: all will make contact with one's heart. None will make an appearance without the company of another. In those moments of indefinite vulnerability, all will strike in one blow in an attempt to seize any light and smother it. Falling into this sense of darkness will only augment the difficulty to see a sliver of light in such a thick-walled prison. One must push away the fear of loss and inability and let the radiance of his heart lead the way back to a brilliant dawn. Don't lose grip of a positive scope.

The Race

Running along the edge.
Pebbles tearing naked feet.
Bricks flying in pursuit.
Closing on their target.

Legs pumping rapidly.
Oxygen hastily circulating.
Adrenaline cascading within.

Knees buckle.
Race lost.

Defeat?

Audrey Lynn