things I want my kids to know about high school

things I want my kids to know about high school

If you love someone let them know.

Always reach out. It may feel uncomfortable, but you never know when somebody needs you. If you see someone that is alone, or you think just needs a friend, be that friend.

Be genuine. If you care about someone, they should be able to tell through your actions & the way you treat them. Treat them like Jesus would. He cares about everybody individually and you should too. They are all different.

If you don't care for someone, use that for fuel to find a way to appreciate them. Everybody is special and even though you might not be best friends, you can still get along.

Take your time to actually internalize what your teachers are telling you. Being knowledgable and a well rounded human being is better than sluffing off your classes and just getting enough of a grade to graduate.

Don't let anybody define you. You define yourself and love what you have to offer. There is nobody like you.

Wear what makes you comfortable. Nobody cares how many Alex & Ani bracelets you have. You don't have to dress for other people. Wear the sweats. Love the sweats. If you want to look like you're on fire, you damn right will look like Alicia Keys got hold of a blowtorch and some gasoline.

You will be remembered for how you influenced people. Not by material things/ if you played varsity/ who you kissed/ popularity. Make it count.

Make friends with the administration. I have found some of my best friends to be on the staff at LP. I know they genuinely care & love you. Plus, if you need to makeup attendance school/need to have something done, they will definitely help a sister out.

Teachers are not out to get you.

Popularity is dumb. Really really dumb. & nobody cares.

Apply for scholarships. (please)

Participate in as much as you can. Experiencing high school is so important. Go to games, plays, activities, assemblies, concerts, etc etc etc. & make sure you actively participate. even if it doesn't seem like your cup of tea. You might just surprise yourself. you will come to have so much more love for the school & it makes it easier to see how talented the students are around you.

Look to serve. Everybody needs a helping hand & if you can make someone's load a little lighter for the day, you have done something great.

Now I'm awake.

Right now it's 4:06 am. I can't sleep 

Right now I'm thinking about my dad who gets less sleep than I do. He leaves for work at 5:00 every morning. I hear him toss and turn every night. He works hard. 

Right now my eyes are watering because my screen is still too bright.

Right now I'm thinking about Em. I really don't want to be 126 miles away from her (I've counted) we've been together our whole lives and I think sometimes we take that for granted. She is my best friend. I can't count the times she's listened through my stupid boy problems or pity laughed at my dumb dad jokes or snuggled with me when I was sad. I'm going to lose it when we move into our college dorms.

I'm crying now. But not too loud otherwise it will wake her up. I love her a lot. 

Right now I'm wondering about my future kids and what different worlds we'll grow up in. I don't know if I'm excited or scared. Both. 

Right now I'm thinking about her. And she's far away but I know that when she's even farther away it will be harder to help. And I want to fix her problems but I can't. I want to be there for her but I can't. Maybe we'll send handwritten letters. 

Right now I'm thinking I could've been in love but I was too scared to admit it. Now it's too late because he's different and he thinks about her instead. 

Have you truly forgiven someone if you still can't trust them? 

I don't know the answer. 

I don't want to know. 

I don't know.  

Right now I want to lay in the middle of the road like they do on The Notebook because I want to feel the silence. I want to feel like I'm the only one awake. 

My dad just turned in bed. I'll invite him to lay in the road with me. We can look at the sky like we do in August and maybe God will give us a couple of shooting stars. 

the truth about poetry

for all you kids out there who feel like you're lost
if you feel like writing's not your thing
if you are in a creative lull
if poetry isn't speaking to you anymore

if you want the truth about poetry, you have to find what poetry means to you.
you have to figure out your process
not nelson's
not your mother's
not mine

yours.

this is the truth about poetry

the 7th day (rough)

woah is that a hotdog??

nah well it's a rough draft. more to come.

MAD LIBS YO

rules that keep you in school feelin real cool. word

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1eHsn4uNeMoYmNPLPneQhjp6owkZPDVFWdSNxycd9J7k/edit?usp=sharing

M.A.S.H. 2010

After much searching, the nirvana of childhood love has been FOUND. (5 childhood journals later...)
Please enjoy the fact that I have a butler(??) and that I'm going to have a HAIRBALL as a specialty item. So if you see me in 30 years don't forget to ask about Sally, Susie, Ben, Greg, Pam, Bruce... And all 42 of the other kids I'm going to crank out. See you at the altar, Carson M.

Drive Safe

She said 

"Drive safe was always my I love you"

And it was like your 

next-to-me smile 

was tangible. 

And I didn't even have to 

look over to know you were thinking the same thing I was.  

And no it's not love 

but it's not like either. 

And maybe we're floating 

somewhere in between

But I can't explain to you 

how right it feels 

in those 

late for curfew 

had too much to drink 

(hot cocoa) we're Mormon...

saying goodbye 17 times because 

talking about peachios 

and our lack of butts 

is more important than 

the bags under our eyes 

moments those 

future car wishing

future trip planning

future 

future

our future

discussions.

because when I met you, 

me turned into we 

and we've been 

working together ever since. 

If you asked me last year 

if I would ever consider another 

relationship in high school 

I would've laughed. 

Probably for a long time. 

Yet here I am. 

I'm the 3 am talks kind of girl. 

That tilt-a-whirl 

kiss in the back of the car kind of girl.

And him. 

that closet from 

savers kind of boy. 

That skip school 

poetry blues

kid next door kind of boy.

So as you're going 

home tonight, my darling, 

don't forget to 

put your seatbelt on. 

Drive safe. 

Drive safe. 

Drive safe. 

check out the blogpost by the amazing Carter J Pratt that inspired this poem here

leave me be

My dreams made waking up a 

son-of-a. 

My dreams qualified rolling out of bed to be

a bitch.

I dreamed I was in Paris 

but I woke up in my bed

I looked in the mirror 

I looked everywhere but my eyes

because I didn't want to confirm the truth. 

I was not in Paris.

How could I be here? 

All the time I spent in Paris couldn't have been a dream.

It was too real to have been a dream

"It's ok",

I told myself. 

I tried to believe it was fate.

Being an ocean away

was supposed to prepare 

me for something. 

I knew it. 

But I wanted to crush

the breathing distance 

between me 

and the Eiffel Tower.

Take me there again. 

Make me feel 

Because there 
I found love and 
I don't know if it was for 

the flowers in the classroom or

the boy that sat in front of me.

There, 

I found that

creativity is my native language and 
sacking is my thing. 

There,

I conquered 

my fear of 

blank pages and 

black pens.

There. 

It was always there.

That was the only place 

I wanted to be. 

So please don't

wake me up next time.
Leave me be. 

Id rather live in a dream 

than wake up to a reality 

without

Paris

real talk = real struggle

#realtalk this post is taking me too long to write and the wreckage from trying makes my paper look like shiz. Will post the poem after sacrificing it tomorrow during 2nd period as a partial offering to all of the slam gods.

update: the slam gods have accepted my partial offering(I think?)and as a citizen of Paris, I invite all of you slam princes and princesses to take a taste of my feeble offering 

(anti)social media

Power on

Boot up

White screen 

Dark room

An apple a day

keeps the people away.

So don't try to sell me 

on the idea that 

media is social.

I won't be another product on your

commissions list 

Excuse me miss, 

I live in a world where

trying to release all of my anger 

is done best by

ALL CAPSING

CAN YOU HEAR ME YET?

CAN YOU HEAR ME?

I had to plug my location into google maps just so I could find myself 

Please tell me how hard your life is because your LTE dropped to 3G 

OMG OMG OMG

All while looking at your screen

You say to me

"I tried to slide into her dms, but all she gave me was a 'read' receipt"

she told you she 

forgot to take the pill

you didn't think 

Netflix and chill could

Get that real

But surprise.

Now you're a father

Go tweet about your 

new baby daughter 

submit 140 characters 

to your 263 followers

You tried to connect her through Bluetooth, 

but she wasn't down

With being wireless,

This grind is tireless,

Always calling for your attention

Can you give it a rest for 

Just...

One...

Second.