Writing

always carry your keys between your middle and ring finger 

never have your wallet visible 

don't listen to music in public 

everyone's a stranger 

you're our child; don't scare us. 

I promised you I would always stay,

swore on a bond I thought would never break.

Then came a time everything conflict

but I meant every word, every bit of it.

Sometimes I feel like I am running on a treadmill towards a big shiny sign that says “Relaxation.” Surronding the big shiny words are lots of other words.

Resist.

Intransitive verb:  to exert force in opposition

The rain fell in steady sheets onto the sidewalk, and I shivered. Next to me, my friend Chloe glanced at her watch.

“Four minutes until they let us in.” she rubbed her arms. “It's really cold.”

My body has an obvious, outward reaction to changes in temperature and lighting. Even when there is snow on the ground, as there is now, in February, I can smell the springtime hidden underneath it.