We’ve seen each other two and a half times since we broke up eleven days ago for the third time since winter. We make these arrangements to meet on Facebook Messenger as if that’s somehow less personal, as if we’re really putting in an effort to try to be strangers. I no longer know the …
Rewrite your college application essay with today’s point of view answering the question, “Is there anything else we should know?”
I misinterpreted most things by choice at seventeen; I couldn’t define good riddance; I chose not to know the difference between stay and go, but played the victim like a champion. You should know we’re fine, and you should know things got worse. In my college essay I wrote about accepting loneliness, leaving out what …
Everyone has a special talent. What’s your special skill?
I can write my name. I can name all the countries of South America in under 10 seconds. I can forget what I’m about to say as I’m about to say it and sometimes I wonder what's stronger - head or the heart. I can whistle. I can read up to three pages of a …
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A Strange Girl Who Hides Herself Under Layers and Layers of Clothing
There’s a kid out there, And he’s gotta have it worse: That’s what I told myself When my parents’ words Set fire to every single thought About that girl I knew to be right. The kids used to laugh Because I guess I dressed like a guy; It was a whispered sort of laugh, …
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The Cleaning Lady
Maria cleans my bedroom and Maria doesn't judge. Maria watches Judge Joe Brown reruns while ironing, but if I want to watch something, Maria hands me the remote. I bet Maria would be the coolest mom. Maria puts Windex on an old cloth she pulled from the plastic basket she keeps in the trunk of her …
Pick a country, and imagine we’ve been at war with it for fourteen years. Write a love story in that world.
Bring our troops home Is a type of joke all it’s own Because all we’ve ever known is war. Developments are two steps back, And casualties are currency To the comfortable and corrupt. The deadliest battles Are slipped under the rug, And Momma writes letters Because she doesn’t sleep too much. They say we don’t …
Describe Heaven
Heaven. It starts on a mountain. 42 degrees and not a cloud in sight. I’m strapped into my snowboard and Poppy is there to greet me - the first person I knew to die. “Welcome to Heaven.” I follow him down the mountain. It’s perfectly groomed. Perfectly challenging. I get myself into an invincible rhythm …
Describe your mother
If I were to describe my mom, I would probably say she is the best. And I wish I could give you a better description but that’s really all there is to it. She’s the best hugger, the best cuddler, the best chef, and the best inspiration. She has the best smile, the best laugh, …
You are a 21-year-old. Write a love letter to your girlfriend.
My Dear, Assume this to be the first of many letters as I attempt to put into words all I feel for you. It's strange really to experience an emotion that is truly just a feeling. It is something you feel and that is all. There is no explanation, no words, no comparatives, but nevertheless, …
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How you feel about love these days
My father is a traditional man. He believes in phone calls and reading the newspaper. He thinks a man should come to the door if he is picking me up and should also initiate the handshake upon meeting my father. During my adolescence, I found this demand absurd and embarrassing but now as I’m nearing …
642 Things to Write About 