Let's be here.

It's not until you stop to ask yourself if you're really happy that you actually start being sad.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
I'm not sad.
I'm not sad.
I'm not sad.
I'm not sad.
I'm not sad.
I'm not sad.
I'm not sad.
I'm just exaggerating.
~*~*~*~~*~*~*~*~
"Smile, honey. Just smile. Really. It could be worse. You've been through harder times. Just smile-"
"Don't tell me to smile."
"Then don't frown."
"Let my mouth do whatever the hell it wants."
"I can't stand to see you sad."
"I'm not sad."
"Then why don't you smile?"
"I'm not happy."
"Doesn't that mean you're sad?"
"It doesn't mean anything."
~*~*~*~~*~*~*~*~
She looked at the stars on the the ground
Spread vertically
Up and down

She knew that when the sun came up
The stars would be gone
and in their places would be a favela

But for now
She would just wish upon them
Ignore the truth behind their shine.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"I'll never forgive you if you jump."
"I won't forgive myself if I don't."
"Please, I'm begging you. Don't leave me here alone."
"You don't need me here, it's not doing anything good for you."
"Please. Please. Please, I need you. I can't. I can't stay here without you."
"Then you better jump after me."

She jumped
Into a sea of happiness
Joyful waves crashing into stones of satisfaction
The wind turning over a thousand new leaves.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Take a dive into life.

smile

honestly, love, i think you need to smile more.

you do not know who you are. but i do. and i think you need to smile. like, a lot more.

so, chin up, mister. smile more.

pull up your pants, get a normal shirt, straighten your hair, and tie your shoe laces.

because, honestly, do you know who we are?

we are sophmores in high school, in suburban chicago, illinois, in the united states of america.

i think we deserve a few simple things, par from the high-and-excitement of high school.

so, stop being so silly, so conceited, so sad.

and love, smile. just a teeny tiny one. just a super teeny tiny upturn of the lips in the direction of the sun.

turn your lips so they're facing the blue yonder above us.

stop being such a debbie downer. you are not debbie. or a downer.

so smile, before someone else starts to frown as well.

that someone just might be me

and it has already started.

--lynn

after the speech info meeting

addy and i lay down in the grass outside the school while the other kids pretend they don't know us.

she raises her arm and points up to clouds that look like letters

and clouds that look like whales

and clouds that just look like clouds.

even though i see a thin cloud

one that looks like the number seven in chinese,

all i do is stare, let the sun tingle against my skin,

and just breathe.

when was the last time i had a few moments to do nothing but let myself be surrounded

solely by the blue sky and smell of the autumn leaves

and the company of a voice next to mine?

~*~

addy talks of dancing. she talks of the difference between new blue jeans and old ones.

she talks of what we will do

as we rest our heads among the grass blades,

putting our ponderings into the sky.

~*~

after a while she turns to me and remarks, "we should do this more often."

the sun blinds me when i try to face her

so i have to rest my arm against my eyes as a shield as i reply

"yes, we should."

--christie