The 13th Floor Writers
Immerse. Evoke.
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Jump, Climb, Crawl
by Jen Davino
It's scary. You try not to panic. Try not to overwhelm yourself with the fear. You feel your throat closing in and at the same time it feels as though someone has a piece of fabric around your neck tightening from behind. Slowly.
Take a couple of deep breaths but you have to use your shoulders and kinda lift your whole upper body to do it. Take two puffs. There that should make it better. Please make it work. Wait a few minutes...shit. It's not working.
Don't panic. Two more puffs. That doesn't work? Go to plan B. Ahh the sweet relief. Those puffs of white air never looked so good. Damn asthma attacks.
Don't think about having to deal with this and the betes. It's ok. You'll learn to manage. That's the only thing you can do. Learn to manage and jump, climb, crawl over these obstacles that seem to always want to get in your way.
Diabetes. Stress fractures. Life. Asthma. Who the fuck cares. I'm not a quitter and that's all that matters. 16:55:09
Closer
by Elis Rivera
What do you do when you no longer feel like crawling…
When standing tall is a declaration of war
and the fear in your eyes have subsided only to be replaced with tired love.
Hold me…
Hold me tight enough to rid myself of the pain
Hold me so tight it extracts all the air within me
So that the only thing left is my limp body… hanging over your arms
The closest we’ll ever be
But its ok now
Because there’s no more timid anger and kind annoyance
Stainful tears and harsh whispers
No more, disappointed moments of regret
Moments of despair
Of what your life has come to…
Tall brick buildings with no luxuries and no warmth
So much work and all you but a few nice shirts and sneakers to show for it
And you look to the side of you and, Dammit! What is she?
What used to be a rock, broken into rubble
What use is this to you?
Weak and soft spoken, sad and unwanted
What use is this to you?!
How are you supposed to show something you barely felt?
Love?
Love is for fools!
For hopeless romantics!
For the people who yell “Carpe Diem” in a world that has seen the end of its days
But baby, I have loved you
I loved you so much that the blisters on my feet were trophies to me!
A thousand miles shown trying to walk in your shoes...
I loved you so much I cherished the tears that I shed
Because every hundred that stroked my cheek was one more thing I learned about you.
I adorned you
Every breath, every second, every battle, every day, every scold, every moment, every-thing, YOU.
You brought life into a world that was dead to me
Held my hand through the doubt
Showed me compassion through the pain
What happened?
What changed so suddenly?
Why do you look at me like you don’t want to see me
Brush against me like you don’t wanna touch me
Fill the room with Glade’s fresh breezes like you don’t wanna smell me
Give me a chance to make it up to you
I’ll do anything to smell like your spring meadows
Be as soft as your pillow
Have you smile at me because my beauty is too great
Not squint as though unsure of what purpose I serve
Baby…
I’m so tired of crawling
Just leave me… right here… limp in your arms
Your heartbeat slowly giving me life again
And I’ll be here forever to be this close to you
Anything… just to stop crawling
Hearts on Hearts
by Amaris Johnson
Her first necklace — plastic on a string from her daddy on a Tuesday
Because, Tuesday — a scoop for you, a scoop for me.
Holding his hand, skipping, with ice cream stains on her chin
And that first necklace
A string of plastic
From her daddy.
Then years later, that Junior
year approaches
He's there with this necklace.
It's not the first
Holding his hand, her heart skipping,
pounding out her chest.
Waiting for that nod of his
The smirk with the exposed gap
When she knows she's got him wrapped
The one that gets her those scoops on Tuesdays.
One for you, one for me.
Her mother's judgement, eyes that dream, and arms that never let go.
How could I?
No. Smirks are not an option.
A nod I can perform.
There it is
No smirk, but a nod.
"Thank you for the neckalce."
Falling
By Jeannette Nesbot
I've fallen many times
Some falls have been longer and harder than others
Sometimes I fall away so high
That I feel close to heaven
Light and happy and naively unaware
Of anything besides the weightess glide
With my eyes to the sky
Close enough to almost touch the stars
I want to reach...
Touch the lights with my hand
Staring in awe at how they glitter in perfect position
Every night, no matter how many times my dizzy world spins...
These stars are always in place
But I can't touch them
I'm not like the stars... not made of light
I'm made of flesh... blood... bones
All sheltering a spirit
A heavy spirit that—
I start to feel the gravity yank me by my feet
And pull me back down to Earth where I belong
If I just stay in my place and not drift away
I would never feel the pain of the fall
Why do I always get lost in the clouds...
Reaching for the stars...
I am not made of light.
Today's Writing Prompt:
The writing is on the wall...
Who is Love
By Sheryl McGloffin
Love is homeless
Layered and complex
Embraced and released
With no compass
No place to really go
So easily forgotten
Not always forgiven
Love hides in the luminescent glow of each awakening day
Yet, he cowers amongst the fog of thick clouds closing over the moon
Matted, tired, and torn
Love leaves without a word spoken
Doors swingin', lights blinking
Love is rough to the touch
He doesn't mold so easy
Covered in the ashes of yesterday's blaze
Only the dust forms his shadowy figure
But this passing tornado does stop turning
He is able
He is willing
Love stands hands open
Love wants,
He cares
Love knows you,
because he is you
He's afraid
He's colored with the pits and falls of the bitter winters and false start summers.
Love just needs a home
A heart
A shelter.
