Prompt: Write from the perspective of a non-human 9/28/12
Man, I wish she'd change my oil, already. It's not that I've gone all that far. No, I could take about a thousand more miles if it were that. It's just... well, it feels nourishing and right to have my oil changed.
But speaking of 1,000 miles, I'm not gonna make it on these tires. My tread is so worn down, I just hope no one has to die before she finally notices. I just shudder when the roads are wet even a little bit. And it's not like she's a good driver who can actually handle hydro-planing. Actually, she's pretty terrible. I can feel the tension of the passengers' seats, and they constantly wrench my grab-handles.
The Mercury next to me tells about how her driver this, or her driver that--filled the tank the whole way, got her tires rotated, re-vamped the air-conditioning, vacuumed her interior! When was the last time ole Leadfoot did any of that for me? I can't even remember.
Saturday, January 25, 2014
Tuesday, January 21, 2014
Lies I'm Tired Of
All my life, I've been told, I've been sold,
that my skin is too pale.
On the other side of the world,
Leixin has been told, has been sold,
that her skin color is too dark.
And now we're sitting across from each other in the library,
bravely whispering, discovering how we've been shamed,
and how we've thought we were ugly
for no FUCKING reason.
Alternate ending #1
...and how we've thought we were ugly.
I'm done buying it.
Alternate ending #2
...and how we've thought we were ugly
to please no one but a liar
who delights in our misery.
that my skin is too pale.
On the other side of the world,
Leixin has been told, has been sold,
that her skin color is too dark.
And now we're sitting across from each other in the library,
bravely whispering, discovering how we've been shamed,
and how we've thought we were ugly
for no FUCKING reason.
Alternate ending #1
...and how we've thought we were ugly.
I'm done buying it.
Alternate ending #2
...and how we've thought we were ugly
to please no one but a liar
who delights in our misery.
Wednesday, January 15, 2014
A Post About Pot
In the last month, I have given the "don't-do-drugs" talk to precisely three young men. I would have stopped at one if not for a brief conversation I was privy to over the holidays between two people I love very much. It went like this:
Person A: You know, I was talking with my buddy just this week, and we were saying, pot isn't dangerous right away. It's insidious. I look back on my life so far, and I've missed whole years because of pot.
Person B (a generation older) : I've missed decades.
+++
I know a lot of people use pot responsibly, despite obtaining it illegally. But I will keep giving the "don't-do-drugs" talk even after pot is legalized. I have trouble teaching the glazed, red eyes in class, sedated, for the moment, occasionally asking questions that I've already answered, writing papers that they think are brilliant, but are nonsense.
+++
Of course all the states will legalize pot, eventually. If we accept alcohol, which is insidious, indeed, then we are sure to accept pot, too. And neither marijuana nor alcohol are to blame if people become dependent upon them. But let's not. Let's not even break the law to get pot, because it doesn't control us. And while we're at it, let's not allow a host of slowly detrimental behaviors to control us, especially not short-lived pleasure.
+++
The three guys I talked to, by the way, all share commonalities: they feel incredible pressure to become something important. They are representing their families in the U.S.; they have this one chance to make good, and they are so afraid of failing.
Person A: You know, I was talking with my buddy just this week, and we were saying, pot isn't dangerous right away. It's insidious. I look back on my life so far, and I've missed whole years because of pot.
Person B (a generation older) : I've missed decades.
+++
I know a lot of people use pot responsibly, despite obtaining it illegally. But I will keep giving the "don't-do-drugs" talk even after pot is legalized. I have trouble teaching the glazed, red eyes in class, sedated, for the moment, occasionally asking questions that I've already answered, writing papers that they think are brilliant, but are nonsense.
+++
Of course all the states will legalize pot, eventually. If we accept alcohol, which is insidious, indeed, then we are sure to accept pot, too. And neither marijuana nor alcohol are to blame if people become dependent upon them. But let's not. Let's not even break the law to get pot, because it doesn't control us. And while we're at it, let's not allow a host of slowly detrimental behaviors to control us, especially not short-lived pleasure.
+++
The three guys I talked to, by the way, all share commonalities: they feel incredible pressure to become something important. They are representing their families in the U.S.; they have this one chance to make good, and they are so afraid of failing.
Sunday, January 12, 2014
[Spoiler] God Healed My Back!
The Injury: I've had back issues since I came back from an intense, six-week mission trip with Teen Missions International the summer I turned 12. I started to go to a chiropractor that fall, and have had to return to chiropractic help almost yearly since then.
Knowing this about myself, I typically stay away from unnecessary pressure on my back, and I always practice proper lifting techniques. Until Wednesday last week. The Dorm Olympics were underway, and Lachelle was explaining how to do a piggyback race. But teenagers who speak English as a second language don't listen better than any other teenagers (who actually don't listen worse than adults, for the record, they just happen to be told what to do in groups more often... I digress), so Lachelle said, "Let me climb on your back, and we'll show them how to do the race!" I didn't hesitate. I didn't even put down my papers and markers. I did it all. I am so amazing. We showed those kids how to complete that race good! The Dorm Olympics went swimmingly.
The Pain: On Thursday morning, I woke up with incredible back pain. The muscles between my left shoulder blade and spine were all knotted up and having spasms. I couldn't breathe well. I wondered if I should go to the hospital, or call Leah (my chiropractor friend), but I had no time for that, because I had a prayer meeting from 8 - 10 that morning.
The Healing: I told my fellow prayers about my pain, and how distracted I was by it. They prayed for me, and immediately, the pain started to ebb away. The muscles were no longer having spasms, and I could turn my head to the left, which was causing shooting pain before. I had a bit of pain, but 90% of it went away right then and there.
The Aftermath: As I write this, I'm no longer astonished or even overjoyed, though I feel like I should be. I experienced a miracle! And it's difficult to describe because it was so simple. God did it. Things changed because He intervened! I've prayed for healing before, and not been healed, at least not how I expected. Then this happens, and it was all so simple. I didn't do it. It wasn't that I had more or less faith this time than before. I've prayed with more faith before. I don't know, folks. But God can heal, and we have to keep asking him. Praise God, okay? Praise Him because He CAN heal us, and because he DOES heal us.
Knowing this about myself, I typically stay away from unnecessary pressure on my back, and I always practice proper lifting techniques. Until Wednesday last week. The Dorm Olympics were underway, and Lachelle was explaining how to do a piggyback race. But teenagers who speak English as a second language don't listen better than any other teenagers (who actually don't listen worse than adults, for the record, they just happen to be told what to do in groups more often... I digress), so Lachelle said, "Let me climb on your back, and we'll show them how to do the race!" I didn't hesitate. I didn't even put down my papers and markers. I did it all. I am so amazing. We showed those kids how to complete that race good! The Dorm Olympics went swimmingly.
The Pain: On Thursday morning, I woke up with incredible back pain. The muscles between my left shoulder blade and spine were all knotted up and having spasms. I couldn't breathe well. I wondered if I should go to the hospital, or call Leah (my chiropractor friend), but I had no time for that, because I had a prayer meeting from 8 - 10 that morning.
The Healing: I told my fellow prayers about my pain, and how distracted I was by it. They prayed for me, and immediately, the pain started to ebb away. The muscles were no longer having spasms, and I could turn my head to the left, which was causing shooting pain before. I had a bit of pain, but 90% of it went away right then and there.
The Aftermath: As I write this, I'm no longer astonished or even overjoyed, though I feel like I should be. I experienced a miracle! And it's difficult to describe because it was so simple. God did it. Things changed because He intervened! I've prayed for healing before, and not been healed, at least not how I expected. Then this happens, and it was all so simple. I didn't do it. It wasn't that I had more or less faith this time than before. I've prayed with more faith before. I don't know, folks. But God can heal, and we have to keep asking him. Praise God, okay? Praise Him because He CAN heal us, and because he DOES heal us.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)