I don't need a witness to know that I survived.

I loved and hated my junior year English class. I hated it because the teacher pushed and pushed and pushed, stripping me and twenty other students down to our bones. I hated that I had to write poetry for the sake of writing poetry. I hated that I had to read my poems out loud in front of the entire junior class. I hated that class with every fiber of my being.

It was the best thing that ever happened to me. I haven't really written poetry since but over winter break I did a different version of one of my original poems, my favorite. Most of the poems we did were copycats, aesthetically at least. In this instance we read the Meg Kearney poem "Creed", which you all should check out, and had us constuct a poem in the similar format based on our beliefs. My revised version ins't a real poem in the sense that I used some song lyrics and thus is plagarized. But I still like the way it turned out. I also realize that this poem is a work in progress and will forever be exactly that. The reason I am sharing this is because I worked really hard on this and I think it gives good insight on me and my life. Enjoy : )

I believe in the strong side to the weak argument, the trashcan shot you barely make and the ill taste in your mouth when you say the wrong thing

I believe in getting lost on the way there and then again on the way back

I believe in The Wonder Years reruns and that you should always wearing sunscreen

I believe in the crunch of the first step in the snow

I believe in the afterglow of a job well done and yes, we can

I believe in obscene amounts of marshmellows in hot chocolate, dancing in vacant elevators and that the designated hitter should be outlawed

I believe in music blaring, windows rolled down, and singing at the top of your lungs is the only way to drive

I believe in the long road trip with your feet hanging out the window and lingering glances across the room

I believe in the occasional cliché and the swing of my hips

I believe that our song is the slamming screen door, that I’m only me when I’m with you and in Taylor Swift

I believe that every day is a compromise and that maybe you’re gonna be the one that saves me

I believe that crayons are meant to be broken and sunrises are always better than sunsets
I believe in singing the body electric

I believe in hammocks, grass stains and writing names in the sky

I believe that life is a voyage that’s homeward bound

I believe that love is right here, holding your hand

I believe in waiting for the sea to stretch out so we can disappear into the endlessness of blue

I believe that real action is in silent moments and that there is something in the New York air that makes sleep useless

I believe in songs that fill the void in an empty room, and that one must get up and dance every time a Spice Girls song is played

I believe that love is not a victory march, it’s a cold and it’s a broken hallelujah

I believe that there is no satisfactory definition for love but music comes pretty close and that in slow motion the blast is beautiful

I believe in kissing the curve of the clavicle, and that home is the last pure thing in this world

I believe in drawing in the fogged glass, the softness of your flannel shirt and going to Shabbat every Friday night

I believe that sometimes there’s nothing wrong with a little destruction and we are wild like children once the black has veiled the sky

I believe that with every broken heart we should become more adventurous and a girl can never have too many pairs of shoes

I don’t believe in heaven but instead the place where soul meets body

I believe in sugar cubes over packets and curling my toes in the grass and sand

I believe in the deep yearning for the rewind button, constellations and that friendship is reciprocity not expectations

I believe in fearing the tusk, eating a banana a day and that two lone lights shining into the sky can bring comfort to lost souls

I believe in the beauty of easy silences, hysterical laughter and obnoxiously large gardens

I believe in feeling invincible when I wear rain boots

I believe in skin on skin and the fear that maybe the world isn't enough for me

That's all for now, but more to come in due time.