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DAMN!!
youre a hard worker. and im really jealous on your work. wish i could make poetry like that. you really are an excellent poeist.
and blueberry muffin, DAMN, thats one fine piece of poetry. good subject biggrin

redface
Thank you both for the kind words.
Now... written during a long, boring social studies class, on our Chapter 10, Lesson 1 review sheet, I provide you with... this:

Garden Perfection
All the garden's fillled
with dollar sign clovers
and heart-shaped roses.
This garden of perfection holds love and money;
all one could ever dream of.

Fall, like the petal's of the Beast's rose,
into the bed of lilies,
into the arms of the one.

Breathe, into your cursed lungs,
the scent of boys harmonizing with rich flowers.

Look, with those entrancing grey eyes,
to the dream of millions of coins,
paying off your every debt.

Tend this garden with every move.
Be fragile with the pennies
and careful with his heart.
For if you don't, your garden will die;
no more roses to hold
nor any boy to hold you.

Help it. You know it needs you.
heart

i love My Soldier the most, but i like them all alot. mrgreen

*gasp* A short-ish story by moi? That never happens! I never have the patience (I entered a writing contest with this too... is there something wrong with me?!?!)
Critique, loves, pretty please? (I guess if I expect critiques, I must go off and critique others... brace yourselves)


Papa's Lake of Stars

"Scarlette Sapphire Reiter," called my mother to me.
"What do you want this time?" I complain. We haven't seen eye to eye on anything ever since Papa died. She's been begging me to go shopping with her, or a movie or something, but I don't want to. She just doesn't understand.

I was so close to Papa. He was my only friend. The sunshine in my rain; the chocolate chip in my cookie. He knew what I was feeling before I even took a step into his house. Those long nights we stayed up under the stars, on the dock of his lake. We were so silent, and then he'd whisper to me, 'Scarlette? You see that star up there? That's your grandma. She's watchin' us and smilin'.' I'd always get a lump in my throat, hard to swallow down. But I managed to choke back my tears...
Until that night. In the hospital, he had a bed by the biggest window. He looked out the window & pointed at the brightest star he saw. 'Scarlette, you see that star? That's your grandma.' I replied, 'I know, Papa. She's watchin' us and smilin'.' And he said, 'She sure is, but you see that star next to her? That's where I'm gonna be.' With that, he left me.

"We're going to your grandpa's cabin by the lake," my mother says, bringing me back to the real world.
"Mama, you know I'm not ready to go back there yet," I respond.
"You have to. You need closure."
"Closure, eh? I think I've closed myself away from you well enough without going to the lake, thanks."
"Scarlette. You're going. That's final. Now, quickly pack an overnight bag and get into the car. I'll be waiting," she says, jingling her keys out of her purse as she goes out the door. Since I figure I have no choice but to follow, I saunter into my mess of a room and pick out pajamas and an outfit for the next day. I shove it all into an old backpack and grab my CD player as I exit my room.

Locking the house, I hop into my mom's minivan and we're off. I place my headphones over my ears and settle in for the hour and twenty-three minute ride. (I've timed it to the exact second... the stop lights are always the same, and the traffic is so predictable in our small town.)

The car ride was uneventful, passing by endless fields of corn and cows. We arrive at the too familiar Aquarium Avenue gravel road. There are no houses within twenty miles of this place, so silent and serene. Of course, there lays the diamond-clear lake, sparkling more than a wedding ring in the honeymoon moonlight. Still, as if it were afraid that something would pounce on it if it moved, not a ripple formed on the satin waters.

"Well, we're here," Mama says.
"Mhmm," I mumble. I stumble out of the car and head over to the lawn chairs on the dock. I sit in mine (the pink one with little teddy bears. Papa gave it to me for my fifth birthday) and stare at the empty air that fills Papa's.

"Are you gonna help me unpack?" Mama shouts from the car.
"Unpack? There's my backpack and your itty bitty suitcase. What is there to unpack?" I reply bitterly. She walks over and sits in Papa's chair. "Don't sit there!" I scream.
"Honey, you need to move on," she says, placing her arm around my shoulder.
"I don't want to," I say, writhing out of her grasp and brushing her away, urging her to leave me and go to the cabin. She takes the hint and leaves me alone.

I look up and realize the sun's setting. The pink and orange collage of the sky is duplicated in the mirror of the lake. The astonishing beauty of both contrasts the black feelings in my heart. Why did he have to leave? He was only 64, not that old. And why can't Mama be more like him? Understanding and compassionate, with that sense of humor that you could laugh at even when you thought smiling should be illegal.

The pinks fade to purple, then to the deepest navy blue you could ever imagine. Once I spy the first star, I hear footsteps rustling leaves behind me. Without turning around, I know it's Mama.

"You see that star, Scarlette?" she says, exactly the way Papa used to. It feels as if my heart was just smacked with a mallet like a gong. The pang resonates through my whole body, making me shiver.

"Don't do that, Mom. You know he used to..."
"That's your grandma, watching us. Smiling," she perseveres.
"STOP IT!" I scream, the vibrations from my echo revealing themselves as wrinkles in the water.
"Scarlette, look."

I turn to gaze at where she's pointing to. I see a falling star travel from where Grandma's star is, seemingly into the lake. The lake glows in the reflection of this star, turning a golden color that's richer than any king's crown.

"That's Papa," she whispers my thoughts.

You've given me no choice (or I've given myself none, since I'm forcing myself to write seeing as school has ended and I am a lazy bum over the summer) I have resorted to short crap. Which means you will have a lot to fix for a critique, yes? Well, enjoy yourself.

**Those Bloody Stars**
My fingertips drop drips
of mercury
that cajoled the guards
at the gates of my wrist.

Pounding sensations course across
the liquified trail, left behind
to clean the mess my dreams had made.

Watch the flow of falling scars
as they make a maroon milky way.
The North Scar along your throat,
will take you back home.

'Nother short story. Twas for a contest. But... yeah. Here:

Kiss Me

"And you have an appointment with Princess Beauty at 2:00, right after your speech at the Assembly today," Sir Rach informed me while pacing back and forth in my royal corridor. "Do you really think that she's the one, Sire?"

"Possibly," I answered half-heartedly.

I, am Prince Ranidae, ruler of the kingdom of Amphibia. For the past four and a half years, I have been searching for 'Mrs. Right'. Ever since that one fateful night, I have been desperately scrambling to find her. The story goes something like this:

I was walking (yes walking) on my two legs (not the four I'm stuck with now) through Batrachian Park. It was a silent night, as it always is in stories. I was alone after a dinner date with my one true love, Roxi Bell. I was drunk on love and heading home to sleep it off. Apparently, Ms. Ruin-my-night had other plans for me. Just as I was passing the fountain, a wretched beast lunged in front of me. I stopped, stared for a second, then continued my walk. She followed behind and began talking at me, saying something about a girl and a frog and a kiss. That's all I understood though, before I felt an electrifying shock course through my body. The world grew to about five times its original size. I found that my body was contorted beyond belief. My arms touched the ground as if they became my forelegs, and my legs were bent as the hind legs of a dog. After many failed attempts, I managed to move to the fountain to see my reflection. (Hopping seemed to be my greatest means of transportation.) I screamed (more like croaked) in terror. I... was a frog.

Over the next four years, Sir Rach found me. He had said he had heard that I was coming, and that they had been preparing for me for a long time. He explained that I had to kiss a princess to turn back into a human. I first pinched myself to make sure I wasn't dreaming, then declared I had gone insane. But, I have figured out that maybe this will be the only way to get back to being me. So, I've tried 'princesses' from Anastasia to Zelda. None of them have done anything for me. It doesn't surprise me, but after so many tries, you tend to get your hopes up, thinking there can't be many more left. Anyway, back to the present . . .

"Prince Ranidae, someone's here to see you," one of the servants calls from outside my bedroom door.

"Tell them I'll just be a minute," I reply. "Rach, please help me get my cloak on?" Rach takes my royal blue cloak and my informal crown (That's what they call it. I don't see how any crown can be informal.) and helps me get dressed. I walk out of the room and head down the grand spiral staircase. I spy my self-acclaimed frog-mother and frog-father. They're my adoptive parents while I'm stuck in this body.

"Ranidae! We have some news for you!" they shout across the entrance hall to me. I make my way to where they are standing, just inside the castle walls.

"What is it?" I ask, more excitement in my voice than in my heart.

"We have found her."

"Have you really? And how many times have you claimed to have found her before?" I answer. I have such heavy disbelief, but I still feel my heart pang every time they say those words.

"We're sure this time. Do you remember anyone by the name of Roxi?" my mother says. My eyes go wide.

"Roxi? Are you sure that's her name? Did you catch a last name?" I can't believe it.

"Yes. Roxi . . . Bell? Was that it? I believe so," my father says. I had never told them anything about Roxi, so they couldn't have been playing a trick on me. It has to be her!

"RACH!" I call. "Cancel all other appointments I have for today. I'm going to spend my entire night with Miss Roxi Bell."

"But, Sire, what about the Assembly? And the other princess? Surely you can't pass up these opportunities," Rach says, pleading to change my mind.

"Watch me." I usher my mother and father out the door. "So, where is she?"

"She's meeting you at the fountain in the park at ten-thirty tonight. Why is this one so special?" my father answers.

"She was my human mate," I say, placing it in terms that they would understand. "She was really special to me, but then . . . Well, you know the story."

"I see. Well, let's hope she's the one, Son," my mother says. They then go off to an appointment doing who-knows-what, leaving me to wander around for the rest of the afternoon. I think about the times of my cancelled plans, and realize I could have made it. I consider calling Rach back, but I'm too excited to think about writing a speech for the Assembly or having some other good-for-nothing girl kiss me. My love is back and I'm going to be human again. I'll have my life back, and I'll have learned so much. Be nice to frogs. If a scary hobo comes and tries placing a curse on you, knock her out before she has the chance. Royalty and making out with princesses aren?t all they?re cracked up to be. Wow; I've learned more as a frog than in school as a human.

Hours of hectic anticipation pass slowly. By the time ten o'clock rolls around, I'm hardly able to keep myself from bouncing off the walls. I am dressed in my most royal and fanciful of attire, sure to make a great first (well, second) impression.

I hop over to Batrachian Park and wait upon the fountain. The moonlight dances on the murky fountain water, making mud sparkle. I look up to the sky and see the stars. The night is exactly the same as the one where I got into this mess. I return my thoughts to Earth and see her, walking alone in a midnight blue dress. Her chocolate brown hair and gum drop green eyes haven't changed at all. She's still my sweet Roxi.

"Roxi!" I call out. "I haven't seen you in so long. You're so beautiful, still. I've missed you so much. I don't know what to say. Just kiss me and get this over with!"

"Ranidae? Is that you?" she says, cupping me in her hands.

"Yes, of course it's me, my love!" I say excitedly.

"Aww, hun, I can't understand you. I don't speak frog," she says. I pause for a second, contemplating how my parents could've told her to meet me here. Then I remember their translator. I should've asked them if I could borrow him. Oh well.

"Umm . . . Well . . . Ribbit?" I say. I'm lost. I'm so close to home, yet speaking a foreign tongue. What am I gonna do?

"So, I suppose you have a froggy girlfriend and family by now. It's been four and a half years, you know? I've been looking all over for you. The city declared you dead, but I knew, deep down that you weren't. I'm so glad I finally found you. Haha, you wouldn't believe how stupid I felt earlier. Talking to a frog translator! It was crazy. Anyway, they said something about kissing you. Are you ready?" she concluded. I nodded my head (as best a frog can) and she lifted me to her licorice lips. I braced myself as I felt her place her lips upon my head.

Suddenly, my world changed. I saw the world shrink, my body returned to normal, everything was human again. I was human again.

"Rani!" Roxi said, throwing her arms around me and kissing me. I nearly fell backwards, but managed to keep my balance. It was going to take me a while, but I'd eventually get used to it. This was me, and I was going to stay this way. I found my princess.