I N D I S P E N S A B L E (12.29.16)

A kiss to my Third Eye and your world becomes clear.
Here we are clean, washed free of remorse and fear.
Held in arms like mountains, infinity stretches within my reach.

Around us a green haze, colors mix and dilate.
Like pupils, we grow, we learn.
From each other and from life, forever intertwined.

This moment is a micro cosmos.
Stars, so impossibly vivid, blink in my vision.
I can't tell if it's the on-coming headache, or actually a nebula.

Our hands interlaced, like the strings on my old leather boots.
These hands will take me just as far.
Gently tugging me along, lifting me up the same way.

I polish your ring with a kiss,
You are the king here.
How I love to watch you rule.

We seal the moment with a kiss,
Two speaking parts sacrificing the same thing,
So that the other could breath.

You are indispensable to me.

Walk With the Sun, Love With the Moon. (11.16.16)

She is a wildflower,
Sprouting where nothing dares to grow.
The sun light flits over her garden,
That grows on the side of highway 66.

Her eyes shimmer like gold dust in a California river,
Given the chance she'd rather be panning for minerals
Then pining over missed chances.

Because to her there is nothing quite like the air,
Mixed with starlit woods.
Something about the dead of night
Makes her feel alive.

Let's get one thing straight (Think Thoughts.)

My brain is not my friend.
On that note neither is my body.
Both of these offending objects try and kill me on multiple occasions. Normally that processes is attempted like 40 times in the same day. Like today, I've been working my tail off for an 8 hour shift, and I've been doing my best to keep in contact with friends. My brain however, doesn't care. It looks me in the soul and says,
"You're not working hard enough, I wonder if you worked harder people might actually want to spend time with you."

What the hell?
NO!

Listen, I know what that voice is, it's Anxiety or Depression. Some kind of chemical changing my vibe from good to gross in a matter of seconds. No one thinks I'm not working hard, and people love me!
But that doesn't stop the voice.

So, why write this?
Why post yet another homage to my messed up connections?

You might just be thinking the same thing. You might feel useless and hopeless, like no one in the world likes you. Don't believe the hype, you are so wonderful! You're the most wonderful you in the world! The only you.
So don't listen to your bastard track.
You go be the most wonderful you that you can manage.

What Do You Want? (3.7.16)

Out of all the possibilities I imagined as a sad and scared 10 year old, this was never one of them.
Perhaps dying, brilliantly and tragically, at 16 with so much life ahead of me.
Perhaps living, a young genius, whose mind was unrivaled. Published author at 15.
Perhaps lost, homeless and cold, but free. 17 with nowhere to land.

Now I'm 18, I live in my grandparents house, I struggle to finish a single class, I fight myself constantly.
"You cannot do this, not today, lay back down and sleep." Is what my mind whispers to me, cruel and unrelenting.
My heart screams, "This is just a moment," "This too shall pass," and "You are stronger than this,"
Millions of other platitudes recourse around my grey matter, until I am forced to collapse.

I feel lost, like I'm dying and living all in the same breath. Like tomorrow will be the raindrop that breaks the leavy. It never is.
I spout the same nonsense to anyone who will listen. As if repeating the lie will make it true,
"I'm an adult, I know what I'm doing."
A mantra whispered to a pretty boy with soft eyes and small smile. A war cry screeched at siblings, who are more afraid of their future than I am of mine.

I want the world, I want the stars and the planets and the oceans. I want an open apartment, with large windows that look out into the snow globe world. I want the freedom to pursue flights of fancy, and the security to fall.
I want a place for my marshmallow heart to call home.

I'm a scared and sad 18 year old now, so let us imagine once more.
Perhaps successful, living in a new city where I've carved my own path, 29 with so much still to do.
Perhaps mountainous, 22 with eyes cut from sapphires, glinting with righteous fury and thirsting for blood.
Perhaps found, 25 with a hand to hold, a bed to sleep in, and somewhere to be.

In-between the In-between (11.16.16)

Find me in the middle place,
Between closed doors
Above cracked window panes.

A liminal space for you and I.
Carve out time to see you smile,
Look alive, the sun is going on.

Borderlands,
An unclaimed wild for you and I to share.
Jealousy holds no sway.

My jealousy is pushing you away.

Goddess (11.4.16)

Pretty Girl without even trying
Bats her eyes and wins the world.
Lusts over a boy who left her crying,
Smudged her makeup and ruined her curls.

So Pretty Girl got all dolled up,
Wore her high-high heals to worship at that alter in the sky.
Said goodbye to Sad Boy who sent her flying,
Said goodbye to the ones who made he lie.

"I'm no pretty girl," Pretty Girl would bash,
Cause Sad Boy got so scared,
When other Pretty People noticed her.

Pretty Girl loves Sad Boy,
So when the anger fades, the heels come off.
She'll be his pretty girl,
Until she's not.

NaNo-Fucking-WriMo 2k16

Yep.

Y'all it's November, and those of you in novel writing circles will know exactly what that means. It's NaNoWriMo, 'national write a novel in a month' month for the laymen. Writers all over the internet sphere will be tearing their respective hairs out this month. As we all valiantly press on to write 50,000 words in one month. Personally, i'm shooting for 10,000. I haven't participated in NaNoWriMo since my first attempt back in 2014, so hopefully I don't explode.

Wish me luck, i'll be keeping track of my word count with a gidget in the corner. And occasionally i'll update y'all.

Happy NaNoWriMo, now go forth and be brilliant!
(sorry Edwards.)

Bringing It Back Around (10.12.16)

Hey,

Life can really fuck you up sometimes. Not every plan you make will turn out and- yeah that shit sucks. But the mark of humanity is adaptability, so pulling yourself up by the bootstraps it kinda the only way to go.

Life for me hasn't been all bad. I'm 85% sure that I'm in love, which is pretty neat. Probably more then 85% but I digress. I've been mostly on my grind, though less effective then I really want to be. Somehow I've been set adrift. I have a very general idea of who I want to be but damn that shit gets foggy if you're not careful.
Right now all I want to do is drive around with the windows down blaring indie music. Pick up my friends and go to little seaside cafes. The ultimate problem with this plan is plain to see; said friends have lives of their own.
I guess it kinda feels like everyone knows what their doing and I'm just kinda stuck here. All parts of me want to follow my dreams and just say fuck it. However, there is a sense of reality about me still since I surround myself with mainly logical thinkers. I just want to be happy.

Wait- that's not to say I'm not happy right now. This has been one of the best periods of my life. I'm making enough money to support my lifestyle and also give to my friends. I have such a loving boyfriend (He really makes my eyes glow.) I'm also the most comfortable with my looks and my body that I've ever been. I just don't feel like I have a future planned out right now.
Said boyfriend told me that I need to focus on the here and now, maybe he's right?

That's all I have for this, I realized that I hadn't updated anyone in a smidgen to what's going on behind the curtain.

.// Playlist \\.

Fight Sleep - Dagny

Washed Up Together - Knox Hamilton

Drive - Oh Wonder

Talk to Much - COIN

Stupid for You - Waterparks

-Vand.

The Way They Look (10.12.16)

When she looks at him,
She sees infinity and simplicity wildly intermingling.
When he looks at her,
He sees magic and ingenuity hurricane spiraling.

They brush glances like soft fingers trailing
On the curve of a cheek.
Or the quite laughter at,
Some word misspoken.

She loves so deeply,
Her heart a stormy sea.
He loves so fully,
His mind always at ease.

Though you wouldn't see it,
If you saw the two apart.
Watch them move together,
You'll know they're of one heart.

Consort of the Witch (7.16.16)

He leaves kisses like embers
On paper pale skin.

He worships this universe,
And it caresses away his pain.

Under the silver moon there is clarity.
In his body, in his mind.

The tempest heart is stilled.

The liminal space between their
Intertwined fingers

Is where adoration
And Affliction meet.

(5.3.16)

Allow me to speak your praises,
To carve your success out of
My skin.
Let my sacrifice be your original
Sin.
Let the sky thunder and crash
Wondering what storms would come to
Pass.

My Body is a Good Body (4.1.16)

It keeps me upright and

Strong.

It cushions my clumsy

Falls.

Every breath in it rushes the

Air to my lungs.

Every exhale there is stardust.

I am a universe,

Vast and unexplored.

My mind is an ocean,

Deep and full of terrors.

But my Body is a good body.

This is not up for debate.

So whether you look at me and see

A renaissance painting,

Or late night ice cream

With friends.

My Body got me here.

Safe, whole, unharmed.

It's a good Body.

Whether you like it or not.

Greek Tragedy (6.16.16)

Come to me all lovers.
For I know how this
Story ends.

Live in me unhappy
Hephaestus.
With your rough
Hands,
And wide eyed fury.

Sing to me downtrodden
Apollo.
Let your cries end
At my bosom.

Kiss me sad
And lonely.
Until you feel whole.

Don't Panic. Full Stop. (9.7.16)

Don’t Panic.
A mantra well spread
Throughout the the two lobes of my head
Like Jam and PB on bread.
Don’t Panic
A phrase repeat,
Words, simple words,
That turn brave men to meat.
No, Don’t Panic.
There is so much left to do
Feel the heat course through you,
Oh of course this would happen too.
Panic,
Yes Panic.
Sets in quick and sick
Can’t respond to a text
Too nervous to stand or sit.
I’m taking shallow breaths through my nose
Panic spread from head to toe.
Panic. Don’t Panic.
Panic.
Oh No.

Lips (8.17.16)

You smile at me before we speak,
A precursor to a debate.
A simple stretch of lips across teeth,
Flips my mind to a crashing wave.

Sweetness surrounds the hand you lay on my neck.
Trailing roadways down my spine.
Together we traverse the universe.
In that moment we freeze time.

Yes. It's true. I do.
Love is a four letter word for a 50 cent feeling.
My heart feels so much more than that.

Because when I'm with you the sun
And moon rise and set all at once.
You leave me stunned in eternal twilight.

Latched onto your mouth like an
Underwater breathing apparatus
I cling to those lips,
I crave that smile.

Refractory (6.29.16)

He is a child of the sun,
Spurned by a world who would not know him.
His heart is warped wood,
Rotten in some places but still beating.
He still pulses with light.
Whispering to the stars above to
Deliver him from the ache of living.
What he doesn't hear are the stars,
In hushed tones the remind him of joy.
The light shimmer of dew on grass
The droplets reflect the brilliant saccharine orange that reverberated through the mountain tops.
The way clouds roll lazily overhead. 
The fresh scent of wet earth after an unexpected storm.
He weathered that storm, 
And finally he sees the sun on the other side.

Aching. (6.14.16)

There is a bone deep tiredness,
I am washed in.
Bathed in emotions.

A pain so vibrant in its'
Rainbow hue.
People crying.

Tears like acid,
Burns the skin of a nation.
A familiar ache.

Promise it will never happen again,

As we count our dead.

As we consoul the living.

Gaslighting. (6.3.16)

I am searching.
I am looking for answers in between lines of code.
Strings of data attaching me,
To the Earth like
Anchors.

I am lost.
I am wondering hapless in the night.
Groping around in the darkness,
For a hand to pull me up.
Away.

I wish for little.
Love in the form of
Soft kisses
And 'good nights'.

Why is it
That my soft heart melts
At the sound
Of a blazing gun?

Ambient Thoughts. (5.30.16)

Phosphoric bones snap and glow,
Giving the world a brand new shine.

Something is glistening, wet and unruly
In the corner of her eye.

The sun lives inside.
A body, hollowed out.

Somewhere along the way
Her soul left her behind.

Through each hazy rain cloud,
A million new ideals drop down.

An unforgiving world is waiting
For their daily dose.

Surface thoughts hide deeper dreams,
Living in oppressive atmospheres.

She breaks.
Like waves,

Like dawn.

I Guess I've Read Too Many Books.

I have so much to give away.

I don't need all this love in my heart.
I don't need all the pretty words in my head.
I don't need the extra space in my car,
Or a cold spot in my bed.

I don't need visions of stars,
With no one to share them with,
And it's stupid as fuck, but.

I want someone so goddamn bad.
I want to be wanted,
And cherished,
And loved, and worshiped.

So I can want,
And love,
And worship in return.

An Update, and A Reminder.

Well hello gentlefolk.

I hope this update finds you well as I've been doing quite well myself.

Last update I clued you all in that I wasn't doing very well, problems with my mental health and problems with my physical stress. But the hurdles were jumped, the hoops set ablaze, and I came out the triumphant victor.
I quit my retail job because I hated it, and while not having a source of income sucked, it eventually led me to my current profession. I watch kids now (meaning I'm a nanny for hire), how fun. I make good enough money that I'm satisfied for now, I'm already thinking about getting another job on top of it, to help propel myself forward into new and untested waters.
I graduated high school, an anticlimactic event in itself. Perhaps more interesting come May 23rd, as that is the official ceremony date. The math was completed, the hours turned in, and the bell rung. I'm on my way to college now, I've decided to take a summer course. All to help maintain a scholarly mind. To, hopefully, give me better insight on how I'll fare in this new world, as well.

I am wishing you the best, because we must wish the best for one another.

-Vand.

Shenanigan

I'm finding my blooming patience a comfort,
Most days people know where to find me.
A set pace, a streetcar rolling down a triumphant hill.

45 miles per hour.
I pulled myself out of the fire,
I bandaged my heart and got back to work.

Bruised knuckles show where I've been most days,
A subtle kind of excitement washes over my crowd.
I've been waiting years for this.

Splitting grins sit where tears once reigned,
I am the ruler now, this is my domain.

Vand (an Update.)

Hello gentlefolk,

It is I, your fearful leader, I hope you're doing well.

I am not. I wish I could bare better news, but unfortunately I haven't been doing well. I've been feeling stuck lately. My fight or flight instincts have been doing funny little flips in my tummy.
As the months have progressed, I've attempted to be an 'adult' good lordie is it a pain. I am putting myself in the view of unnecessary stress, working a job I kind of hate, just so I can make it out of here alive. I'm not very good at it I'm afraid, having called in sick twice this week because I couldn't get out of bed. I have to finish a geometry class this month, that's stressful. I'm also attempting to do college.

Not that I ever thought I wouldn't do college, I just thought it would be different. I've also attempted dating, a piss poor attempt, but an attempt none the less. I'm not good at expressing my less extreme emotions, I don't know which words to choose. I always feel as though I'm reciting poetry, or a bad script. It never makes me feel confident.
I think I'll do better soon, once I get out of my head. Once I get out of this house.

I hope that this post finds you well, because we have to hope the best for each other.

-Vand

Who I am (Who am I?)

While writing a piece on perceptions of people and how we present ourselves, I encountered a problem. Not the same question I wanted to pose when I set out to write this, but an interesting problem all the same.

Why is it that people who are kind and patient are seen as stupid?

Why is it that while writing this piece, I equated my genuine feelings of kindness and patients as naivety? Throughout the piece, I felt like I painted myself in a negative light. And I did! I called myself stupid and naive multiple times.  Why is it that people who are positive and who want to make people happy, are seen as idiots on a fool's errand? I noticed while thinking back to situations in my life that a lot of people are surprised when I am both kind and intelligent(Like the two are mutually exclusive), even myself! Has the world really been painted as so dark that anyone who believes in light is immediately considered an idiot?
More questions than answers, I'm afraid, but maybe one day we'll all see that kindness is truly the smartest option.
As they say, you catch more flies with honey, than you do with vinegar.

Everything is new.

Anger dries my throat. Tears well in my eyes.

I ball up my fists, crushing them against my sides.

A bruise will soon form where the two forces meet.

Words from a broken home knock me off my feet.

My mouth is taut, a line so thin, one would think it would snap.

I inhale once, and let out a heavy sigh that sounds more like a gasp.

The muscles in my hands tense once more as tears dry in my eyes.

Palms now gone flat against purple-green thighs.

All that remains is a bitter after taste.

My cheeks burn where tears rolled their stinging chase.

I breath deep, and let it all go again.

-H