Prompt 9: Animals

9. Animals: Choose an animal. Write about it!

((Should have posted two yesterday, making it up today))

The hazel eyes catch my attention first, the shimmer of orange in them continue between the black stripes adorning his body. The strength in his muscles stop me in my tracks. It’s majestic beauty captivates me. His paws are as big as my face and his teeth could easily rip my flesh but I still love his ferocious roar.

He sees me.

I freeze.

There is no way I can outrun him or fight him. Tigers are much more powerful than a mere human. All I can hope is that if I stay still enough he will not find me threatening or tasty and move on through the bush. I see his ears moving in my direction as if inspecting my aura, he moves closer. I stop breathing. As he nears me, I close my eyes. I don’t want to watch my favorite animal on our planet rip my human body to shreds, I want to hold the respect I have for them even in the grave. I feel him inspecting me and my pack. I say a silent prayer to a spirit I am not sure I believe in, thanking it for there being nothing edible in there. His whiskers tickle my skin, I feel his body moving past me; his striped tail brushes against my arm. I wait another second and open my eyes to see him disappear.

I say another silent prayer, thanking the powers at be for sparing me. Sitting and meditating on my experience, I realize that life has a flow. Mother Earth protects those that respect her. Tigers may eat when they are hungry – no matter what the prey they find, but this one looked well fed. He had nothing but curiosity to show me.

8 September , 2015 by Sam Categories: writing promptTags: adventure, animal, black, curious, encounter, fiction, hazel, mother earth, orange, protect, tiger Leave a comment

Prompt 8: Dream-catcher

8. Dream-catcher: Write something inspired by a recent dream you had.

((Should have posted yesterday))

Have you ever woken up from a dream and felt as if you had just ran a marathon? Sometimes my dreams are so vivid and real that I feel as if I haven’t slept at all. Recently I have found myself running through forests and diving into beds of water playing under the falls. There is nothing but pure bliss and the notion of adventure. I think it is my yearning to get back to nature and experience something new creeping through my subconscious.

As a kid I had the same recurring dream over and over. It would start out at my childhood home on the beach. I would be outside playing with my dog Cassidy and my dad when a bad guy dressed like a ninja would fly through on a motorcycle and steal our dog! He would go speeding out of the driveway leaving us in a cloud of dust. My dad would grab a motorcycle he hadn’t ridden in years and grab me up with him. We would chase the bad guy through town.

The chase scenes were intense. I would have to grab the steering while my dad reached for Cassidy on the other motorcycle. We had to stay perfectly even with it in order to get her off safely. Once my dad had rescued her, the bad guy would grab me and kidnap me. I would kick and scream and threaten him until my dad would save me. It always ended with the bad guy getting in an awful wreck. I never saw blood but I knew he was done for.

This dream would come to me at least once a week and it always played out the same and I was always terrified. I would wake up in cold sweats and feel panicky. The entire day after I would be exhausted. It is amazing to me that our brains hold these things to play to us in our sleep among everything else that it does. What does it all mean?

7 September , 2015 by Sam Categories: writing promptTags: adventure, chase, childhood, dad, dog, dream, dream-catcher, dreams, forests, intense, kidnap, late, meaning, motorcycle, post, waterfalls, writer, writing Leave a comment

Prompt 2: The Unrequited Love Poem

2. The Unrequited love poem: How do you feel when you love someone who does not love you back?

Resign

I dream of us together side by side

Your eyes don’t hold the same passion as mine

My hands reach up to touch yours run and hide

The world is crashing around me – still I pine

My head will mend my heart which you have denied

Don’t worry about me, I’ll be fine

Picking up the pieces to mend my pride

Traveling through the wonders of the divine

Our world is full of adventure untried

For that, my love for you I will resign

Wandering out to the other side

Purpose in hand to redefine

Possibilities are endless time to decide

Here I am, It’s the end of the line

31 August , 2015 by Sam Categories: writing promptTags: 2, adventure, create, head, heart, love, passion, poem, poetry, possibility, purpose, resign, rhyme, travel, unrequited love, writer, writing Leave a comment

The Only People For Me Are The Mad Ones

I’m really sick of people today, people of my generation, who do nothing with their lives except talk about other people. It is as if they are flimsy loose leaf paper. I need people around me who are mad to live, who talk about ideas and goals and wish to make a change in the world. People that are as sturdy as the heaviest card stock, filled with substance and life. I believe that if you want to make a change and you are passionate about something you need to surround yourself with other passionate people. They don’t have to be passionate about the same things as you, but passionate about something enough that they are consumed by it. That they eat, sleep, and breathe it. People of action.

If all you fill your time with is the simple trials and tribulations of others and everyday life, then you are not allowing yourself to reach your full potential. You are cutting yourself short of achieving your goals. It saddens me when I see someone with so much promise who settles for mediocrity and oddly enough is content in it. The world has so much to offer and humans as a species are capable of a myriad of things. Imagine the possibilities if only you believe. Believe in yourself. Believe in your ideas. Believe that you can make a difference and surely you will.

There are too many sheep in our generation, people that are content following each other on twitter and facebook and complaining about silly nothings. We need to stand up and prove to everyone – including ourselves – that growth is possible. We will not be sophomoric forever. We have only been given one world and if we give up on caring and allow ourselves to become zombies surely it will be taken away. Opportunity is waiting for you, just knock and see.

“the only people for me are the mad ones, the ones who are mad to live, mad to talk, mad to be saved, desirous of everything at the same time, the ones who never yawn or say a commonplace thing, but burn, burn, burn like fabulous yellow roman candles exploding like spiders across the stars.”
― Jack Kerouac, On the Road

9 May , 20157 May , 2015 by Sam Categories: UncategorizedTags: adventure, burn, change, facebook, generation, jack kerouac, mad, opportunity, paper, passion, people, social, society, twitter, world, zombies Leave a comment

Road Trips, Planning, and Other Ramblings

I’ve been living in Florida for nearly all my life, with the exception of the first two years, the year I lived in New York, and the three months I lived in The Netherlands. I’ve become accustomed to all it has to offer. My love for beaches will never go away but neither will my yearning to see more. Hurricanes have become a reason for drinks and games. Nothing is scary after living on a barrier island during hurricane season and watching the island disappear during the water surge. Kayaking down the street with four feet of water under your raft really changes your perception on things.

I’m ready to leave this place and experience life in a season other than perpetual summer. I want to understand what driving in the mountains and through snow is like; I know it is dangerous but I’m up for the challenge.

I want to know what the air smells like at a higher altitude. I yearn to experience a new kid of adventure. So I have decided it is time. I’m torn between gutting it out to California and paying a crazy amount for water or going somewhere like Colorado, Arizona, Washington, or Oregon. They all have pros and cons as far as schools for my masters once I gain residency, affordability, and opportunity.

Planning a road trip is hard. I know I sound like a whinny baby, but it’s true. Saving has been the sole goal of the last few months and we have six months left until our lease is up. I’m thankful to have someone to go with and to lean on for support in times of emotional and physical need. To have a partner to take on this challenge with and share in the responsibilities has helped my confidence in my own decision making.

We have decided to camp the whole way wherever we go and have already invested in a four person tent to fit my boyfriend, two dogs, and I. We also acquired a couple of sleeping bags and backpacks. I have an uneasy feeling looking around my apartment and knowing how much of it I will never see again. I’m only taking my books, art supplies, a small amount of memorabilia from my travels, and about two weeks worth of clothes. Minimization is key to making a move of this magnitude. The goal is to find a job in one of these places before we leave. I’m being picky though because I really want to work as a writer or filmmaker in some capacity after my move. The service industry is killing my soul, it is time to move on up in the world and put my unique set of skills to use. Time to focus on me and filling every moment with happiness.

7 January , 201519 July , 2015 by Sam Categories: Change, IdeasTags: adventure, arizona, california, change, colorado, excitement, life, moving, oregon, rants, road trips, struggle, washington Leave a comment

New Years 2015

Every time the New Year rolls around people seem to fall into the trap of vowing to reinvent themselves and be better. Gym memberships go on the rise and we eat better and talk better and do better and then we wake up one morning and we are right back to square one. I find this cycle to be never ending and ridiculous, however this year I will still partake.
In 2015 I will embrace change and trust in myself because I am capable. I will take the proper steps to get where I want to be. I will find the perfect writing group and submerge myself in my world creating as much as I can and submitting to as many festivals and competitions as possible. I will attend and volunteer with film festivals and attend every workshop I can. I will get healthy again: eat better, spend more time outdoors, and even work out.
I am checking out my first writing group on Wednesday, but until then I have purchased a few books by female writers and Writer’s Digests Writer’s Yearbook 2015. I’ve also invested in a calendar and a few composition books, if I can create for at least an hour every day to start then I will be right on track. My most important goal Is to get out of Florida by the time the year is up. I need new horizons to explore.

2 January , 2015 by Sam Categories: UncategorizedTags: 2015, adventure, explore, film festivals, get fit, healthy, new years, workout, write Leave a comment