When bad things happened

Two days ago was her birthday. Two days ago she had the smiles and laughs. Two days ago she was 16. But two days after two days ago was unforgettable. It was the day that caused her lifelong hate for anything and everything. She went to her first through seventh period classes happy. The day itself was not the cause of her crying, her anger. A minute before she entered her eighth period class she got a phone call, a phone call of him being in jail. Her almost dying. Them being taken away from her. -“Yes this is she.” -“Were sorry to inform you that…” The phone dropped out of her hand. Fell down onto the tiled floor on the third floor of the main building. She froze… “Hello. Ma’am are you still there?” She looked around. Everything was a blur. Everything was gone. What would she do next? She picked up the phone slowly. -“Yes.” She responded -“You may find them at this facility, her at Rush hospital, Him at Cook County Jail.” There were tears down her eyes. “We are very sorry…” She hung up. She slowly slid her back down the wall directly to the right of her eighth period class’ door until she was sitting down with her knees by her face. She laid her face down onto her knees. Her phone rang. She threw it to the right of her. It landed seven feet from her; her screen was cracked into seven pieces. The phone still rang. She sat there for the whole period. The last bell rang. She finally stood up and walked toward her phone. *Seven missed calls* She picked her phone up placed it in her pocket. One asked what was wrong with her and passed by without an answer. She half ran to her car and got into the car. She began slamming her hands onto the steering wheel.She thought of the days where things were regular. When things were average and even pure. The days she missed the most were when they were all together. All together as one family. She wanted to know why this happened to her. She wanted to go back. But she could not and that was the reality. Everything was going to move on, but how would she move along with everything? She turned her car on and began to drive and think.She didn't know where to go first. So much came at once. There were many somethings missing from her life. Her life of being 17.

WHO could this be. Resme?

Resme Nicole Valentine People drive down this road. They seek the happiness that the atmosphere gives. They can open their windows and such, to breathe in the air. The air is clear; it smells of well thoughts and happy endings. Through dark days and light ones people come down this road to breathe in this air and feel.. A family of two goes down this road. -“Mom why won’t you tell us where were headed” - “It’s a surprise Hun” - “But mom!” Resme screamed. She had anxiety. It was her and her brother’s spring break. They had a long break, about 2 and half weeks or so. Resme was the youngest, she was 14, and her older brother Zann was 17. -“Shut up Rez” Zann said while looking at his phone. He was on his phone all day and night. They’d been on the trip for about 2 days now. Resme mocked Zann silently. -“Whatever” Resme mumbled under her breath. She loved but did not like her brother, he rarely talked but when he did it was always negative or stupid to her. She wanted to get out of that car as soon as possible. It smelled of a mixture of old sweat socks from Zann and old lady perfume from her mother. Her dad was on a “business trip”. He had been on a “business trip” since she was 8, so she knew he wasn’t coming back. Zann took his headphones out of his ears. -“Ma I gotta pee, can we stop?” -“In a minute Zann there isn’t a bathroom for a while” -“Well who said I need a bathroom” Zann laughed at his own remark. But his mother didn’t, she looked at him with a straight face. -“You have to wait” Zann rolled his eyes and went back onto his phone. Twelve minutes later I looked over to Zann and he looked as if he was going to burst. His eyes closed shut and his body rocking with his feet on the seat of our minivan. -“Mom where is the next stop Zann looks like he might piss himself” I yelled while pointing at my dumb brother for not saying anything. -“You watch your mouth young lady” My mom looked back at me with a surprised look. I felt that the moment was needed of the vocabulary I chose so I felt no guilt. I chuckled, even. My mom stopped the car. I looked out of the window and saw a small building. Nothing there to explain what it was. I looked at my mom through the front view mirror with confusion, one eyebrow slowly rising higher than the other. -“What is this?” I asked. I felt that everything I said was very much so needed. Before I could get a response Zann jumped out of his seat and out of the car. He ran so quickly toward the building that my mom had no time to notice he left. Three minutes later when my mom finally looked up from her phone my brother was already back in. -“What is that place” I tugged on my brother while asking. -“Nothing” My brother quickly responded without emotion. What was the deal with these people, I thought. They had a tendency to not tell me anything. Was there a secret? Resme turned over to the right window where she was closest to and looked out to the building; she wondered what was in there. If there was really nothing in there. If her mother and brother were hiding things from her and if so why. She wanted answers. -“How much longer?” Resme asked in anger. She got no response. -“Mom!” Resme yelled with a slight frustrated tone. -“I don’t know Resme just sit back and entertain yourself” was the response. Resme pulled out her headphones and placed them onto her ears. She plugged the bottom of the chord into her I Pod. She turned her I pod to the playlist she had for the moments like these. It was the only playlist in her I Pod. They were the only songs on her I Pod

"A principle to live by" The Road

     A principle that I and ny family lives by is to do what you love at all costs. Society makes it seem like doing ehat you love is important,  but if doing what you love is something that does not get you a sufficient amount of money then it should be put aside for something that does. And I feel like my family loves to follow that principle in life and they want me to follow that principle as well. They would probably expect that way of thinking to be passed down to my children and future generations of our family.
    Another principle that I personally live by is to never make someone feel how you would not want to feel. If I never want to be sad in a relationship/friendship then that rule would apply to the person I am in a relationship or friendship with. I believe that if you make someone feel a certain way, you should put yourself in that situation and see if you would be okay with that treatment or whatever your putting that person through. There are many small principles that I live by, and even if I don't live by them at the moment, some principles are important to me and I would wish to at some point follow in the future and be able to pass it down to my family and so on.

Thankful for a classmate

I am very thankful for my best friend who also happens to be my English 2 period 5 classmate named Imani Evans. She is worthy of being grateful for because she is a great friend and she is a great English student! I am thankful for many of my classmates because they have given me the opportunity to become somewhat close to them as we sit in a class for around an hour or so and learn. I am specifically grateful for Imani because she has been able to be that friend and classmate that I can say I've been able to "grow with". Especially with writing. Considering I love to write. She is always there to critique my writing and help me become a better writer. And I think I do the same thing for her is different classes that she either struggles with or is in a deep liking for. I think Imani and I are a great friends because of all of these things and that is why for this thanksgiving, I am grateful for her throughout this year at Whitney Young as well as I'm sure I will be every year at Whitney Young

I Celebrate Myself

I celebrate myself. I celebrate myself because of all I have done. I celebrate my writing like Walt Whitman does. I recognize the hard work I put into all that I do. I recognize the love I have to many people, family, friends, life. To celebrate yourself you must have some kind of faith in yourself. I believe this because having faith gives you the mentality to go and just spend that time to celebrate anything you do. I believe like Walt Whitman, a good way to celebrate oneself as well is to take time and look back at all that you've changed. All that you believe you can and will change. Walt Whitman wrote his own piece which looked back at so many of his wonderful works of liturature. He took long periods of time to look at all he had done for liturature. Celebrating myself helps me keep hold in whatever stress is put onto me. To realize the good and bad you have done can keep you in a steady place. Walt Whitman had a special way of writing,  and a large part of me thinks that he had such good writings because he was able to handle things through writing. Writing cleared his mind,  while helping him become a famous well known poet and writer. A large part of me thinks that he did not put as much effort as many people would think. And I would conclude that from his way of releaving his thoughts.
And that is why I follow his theory,  to myself and what I do,  and to keep my celebratory mind by writing.

"POE"

Edgar Allan Poe, born January 19, 1809. The wonderful American author, poet, literary critic, and overall literature legend. We all know him for many of his wonderful pieces in literature. We all know of the dark, evil and deep situations put into his work, but the question remains as to where it all comes from. What is the base from this man becoming all of which we know him to be today? Well, it is said that Poe had a very tough childhood. His father left home when he was young and soon after that his mother passed away, leaving him to become an orphan. Because Poe's work is so dark and mysterious,  I connected his childhood to the deep meanings in each of his pieces. He was known to be the creator of detective fiction: which is said to have a mixture of crime, mystery and usually including murder or some kind of death. Also, Poe growing up closer to poor than anything, could have also been a large factor in his writing. So what it is that enhances Poe's deeper meaning in his work is the struggle it was said that he had before rising to the top through expressing himself quietly in his poems, stories and so on.

      There is a quote from Eleonora, that states "Men have called me mad; but the question is not yet settled, whether madness is or is not the loftiest intelligence– whether much that is glorious– whether all that is profound– does not spring from disease of thought– from moods of mind exalted at the expense of the general intellect."
    This quote can be an expression of how Poe started with what many can say is nothing and ended up with so much more than anyone would have automatically thought of him gaining. He can easily be expressing how to be poor or having any specific childhood should not and does not determine the future as long as you use intelligence and use a lot of good thought into whatever you do. There is a sad, dark and mysterious mood and meaning in Poe's work, but throughout it all, can it express any good?

What is an American

What is an American? According to the letters from an American Farmer, an American is someone civilized and distinguished. Now I believe personally that its hard to determine a human to be civilized because some would say that an american should be a mix of different people coming together, but does that actually mean were American,  why can we not just claim where our descendants truly came from. Once you come to America to become an American it would be said that you have to leave behind the past and be ready to move on as an American,  however I believe being an American can also mean you have a background that can actually be held on to when you "become an American" I guess I should say. America was meant to be a place to you could assume "restart fresh" but as of recently Americans have been able to bring their past heritage to the "American way" and it still makes us American. I believe that the letters from an American farmer represents how America was meant to start out and possibly was for a short period, but times have changed. So many of the "American laws" (as they can be categorised into) have not been fully followed all through American time. An example of that is religion not needing to be forced onto anyone, and reward for hard labor, and even simple equality. All of these things and more have been pointed out to be the expectations for the average American,  but that has not worked out in my opinion. In the end An American to me is just a human making a living in the land we call America.