by Naomi L. | February 14, 2014 | J.C. Wolfe's Writing, Poetry |
They say there’s nothing like
A first kiss,
And thinking back on ours,
I have to say they’re right.
Do you remember
The magic we felt
On that Valentine’s Day?
We stopped by the point
Overlooking the garden.
What a lovely view it was,
Full of trees that stretched out
To the horizon.
You took me in your arms
And whispered in my ear
The beautiful words
That made my heart
Skip a beat.
Then you moved
A little closer
Until our lips touched,
And the next thing I knew,
I was getting lost in you.
It was soft, gentle, passionate.
An absolutely perfect kiss.
Some might say it’s cliché,
But I swear that for
That one sweet moment,
The world really did
Stop turning.
As you looked into
My eyes again,
I could see
The joy in yours.
I smiled with you,
For I felt it too:
We were in Heaven.
There’s nothing like
A first kiss
With someone you already love.
Dedicated to that special someone whose kisses always make me feel so loved. Happy Anniversary, and Happy Valentine’s Day! I love you, sweetheart!
by Naomi L. | February 7, 2014 | J.C. Wolfe's Writing, Poetry |
I don’t know how I would get by,
I don’t know how I would survive,
I don’t know how I would face the coming days,
If it weren’t for you.
I tolerate their harsh words.
I endure the pain they inflict on me.
I swallow my sadness.
Because of you.
I do get by.
I do survive.
I do face the coming days.
Because of you.
I tolerate their harsh words,
Because I know you will speak to me with kindness.
I endure the pain they inflict on me,
Because I know you will help heal my wounds.
I swallow my sadness,
Because I know you will bring me happiness.
I come home at the end of the day,
I look through my window to the world,
And I smile.
Despite all the harsh words,
Despite all the pain,
Despite all the sadness,
I smile.
Because I know that somewhere,
On the other side,
There is someone who knows exactly how I feel.
Someone who has heard the harsh words,
Someone who has felt the pain,
Someone who has swallowed the sadness.
Someone out there knows me.
I look through my window to the world,
And I smile.
Because I know that I am not alone.
You lift my spirits.
You make me happy.
You save me.
I look through my window at the end of the day,
And to you, and you alone, I smile and say,
“My friend,
Thank you.”
This is an old poem I recently dug up. I wrote it at a time when I often found myself feeling sad, and someone who always helped me get through those blue moments was my best friend. Thankfully I’ve gotten past that phase in my life, but he’s still my best friend, and I love him very much!
by Naomi L. | January 31, 2014 | Flash Fiction, J.C. Wolfe's Writing |
(What If? Exercise: Read the description here.)
That game always took me anywhere I wanted to go.
I couldn’t remember a time when I was happier.
Capturing the clouds was all I ever wanted.
So now I’m following those lifelong dreams.
I will discover the real world.
With a camera beside me.
The sky’s the limit.
Follow the sun.
Look up.
Click.
This is another piece I wrote based on What If? Exercise 93: “Ten to One”. The exercise is to write a 55-word story in which the first sentence has ten words, the second has nine, etc., until the last sentence has only one word. The objective is to show that precision and thrift in writing can produce surprisingly powerful results. I hope you enjoy what I’ve written. Thanks for reading!
Dedicated to a good friend of mine, whose dreams always called him to two things: photography and the sky. Happy Birthday, man! Love ya!
Back to the story
by Naomi L. | January 24, 2014 | Flash Fiction, J.C. Wolfe's Writing |
(What If? Exercise: Read the description here.)
In my backpack is a fifth-generation iPod Nano. Its casing is a shiny cobalt blue, and its design is thin and sleek. The glass screen is partially cracked, and its click wheel is slightly worn from hours of flipping through its hundreds of songs. On the back is a personalized engraving, etched in by laser over the Apple logo and the camera lens: “Don’t ever stop singing.”
The iPod was a Christmas present from my boyfriend and best friend in the world. He and I met through our common interest in creative writing, but one of the passions we share is our love of music. Interestingly, we both generally dislike the modern mainstream pop that constantly blares on the TV and radio stations, but he was the one who introduced me to the Indie genres. The sweet sound of music layered with true emotion opened me up to an artistic world that I didn’t even realize existed. For the past few years, my boyfriend has been sharing so much new music with me, and I can never get enough. He even shares some of his own compositions with me, songs that really showcase his musical potential. In turn, he can never seem to get enough of my voice, ever since I first sang for him. He and I agree that music is a gift, a passion best experienced with someone you love.
The Christmas before we became a couple, my friend sent me a present through the mail. I was shocked to discover an Apple iPod Nano inside the box, intended as a replacement for my four-year-old iPod Mini, which was on its last legs. I couldn’t thank him enough. Now I would once again be able to enjoy hours of music at a time, the music he loved to send me. He had asked me to open the box in front of him over Skype, so that after he saw my reaction, he could tell me to turn the iPod over. It was then that I saw the engraving. I was so moved; it was such a personal and thoughtful gift.
To this day, I cherish my iPod. I carry it with me whenever I go out, and I listen to it every time I take the bus to college. I was disappointed in myself for letting its screen break when I dropped it once. Still, I take care never to misplace it, for if I ever lost it, it would be like losing a special connection to my best friend.
Between his home in the United States and mine in Brazil, my boyfriend and I currently live over 6000 miles apart. But as long as we have music, we’ll always be close. All I have to do is turn on my iPod, and wherever I go, he’s right there with me.
This piece is based on What If? Exercise 73: “Things You Carry”. The exercise is to choose an object you carry in your pocket or your bag that’s special to you, describe it in detail using less than 100 words, and then tell the story behind it in at least 200 words. The objective is to demonstrate how much emotional attachment and significance can be connected to everyday objects. I hope you enjoy what I’ve written. Thanks for reading!
Back to the story
by Naomi L. | January 17, 2014 | Flash Fiction, J.C. Wolfe's Writing |
I knew I could find a nice home. I didn’t know it would be in somebody’s house.
I knew my new home would have all the food I could possibly want. I didn’t know I would have to take it from somebody else.
I knew I would feel guilty if I had to steal food. I didn’t know having a conscience would get me into so much trouble.
I knew the garbage would be easy to reach without being seen by the people. I didn’t know they had a cat.
I knew I could escape from her through the kitchen. I didn’t know someone would be in there with a knife.
I knew my tail would never grow back. I didn’t know I would miss it so much.
I knew life wouldn’t always be easy. I didn’t know how hard it would be to go days without food.
I knew I might find some free cheese lying around if I looked. I didn’t know what would happen if I took it.
I knew I could find a nice home. I didn’t know someone like me could find Paradise.
by Naomi L. | January 10, 2014 | Flash Fiction, J.C. Wolfe's Writing |
After years of watching a vibrant foreign world speed by without a second glance, a girl must accept that the feeling of being out of place can’t be shaken off so easily. But if there is anything those years can teach her, it’s that life is full of surprises.
It’s understandable for anyone to feel like they don’t belong in a strange world. A person doesn’t always fit immediately into new surroundings, even someone as supposedly adaptable as a child. Adaptation depends on a variety of factors, such as circumstances, timing, and the magnitude of change.
One of these is the nature of the person being subjected to change. Some people simply adapt better than others. Such people welcome variety and embrace the unknown. I wasn’t one of them.
The differences between the unknown and the familiar can be problematic. Sometimes they’re as minor as the comparison between Dog and Cat. Other times, they can be as polar as North and South.
My family and I moved to South America when I was 12 years old. Before then, I was a timid child living happily in southern Florida. I had a fulfilling education in a language I spoke fluently, with teachers who praised me for my excellent grades and a small group of close friends. I was more than content with my life the way it was.
Then came 2001.
After September 11, much of what I knew changed drastically. Our country descended into what could easily be described as near panic, until we started to feel uncomfortable living in our own home on the East Coast. My parents decided this was no way to live, and it would be best for us to move away for a while, to the country where they were raised. It was somewhere we could feel safe and free again.
“Brazil?” My friends were just as surprised by the news as I was. How could they not be? No kid wants to learn their life is months away from being turned upside-down.
“When are you leaving?”
“This December”, I answered many times, never a hint of excitement in my voice.
My teachers were no less disappointed by this turn of events, but they did their best to encourage me.
“You’re a wonderful student”, they assured me. “Your teachers in Brazil will love and appreciate you too.”
This was hardly true, however. The first challenge I faced after moving abroad was mastering a new language, so different from my native English. Because of this, my grades began to slip, and whenever my teachers recognized me, it was for the fact that I was American, never for an outstanding report card.
Still, behind this fact was an encouraging lesson to be learned.
“Brazilians are the friendliest people in the world!” my parents told my sisters and me. “Everyone will want to get to know you.”
This I found to be true. Every year, I was approached by people eager to know everything about my life in the USA. It was a different paradigm from that to which I was accustomed; few of my friends in Florida had ever shown similar interest in me. These new social interactions would greatly facilitate my grasping of the Portuguese language, and for that, I was grateful. My main challenge now was not meeting new people; it was overcoming my shyness in order to make friends. Could I somehow manage to adapt to this new life, the way my two younger sisters had?
The answer came in high school.
When I was 16, a boy in school approached me. He asked me several questions, and I was surprised by this seemingly random gesture from someone I had never met before. But more surprises were still to come.
As it so happened, this boy would later become my first boyfriend, and his friends, my friends for life. I was in for love, heartbreak, laughter, and years of solid friendship. A new chapter in my life was just beginning.
“Brazil is a wonderful country, when you give it a chance.”
My parents couldn’t have been more right. I always knew the transition from North to South would be difficult, but as I’ve come to realize, life never fails to provide enough surprises to make the ride worthwhile.
This story was my first assignment for my online creative writing course: the personal essay. The subject I chose to write about was the true story of my transition from the United States to Brazil, and now I’m sharing it here with all of you. I hope you enjoy what I’ve written! Thanks for reading!
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