Essay

The ancient Greeks believed that names held power. I happen to agree. 

I don’t remember when I first discovered this truth. It is something I feel like I have always known, since the moment I received my first name. 

I live in the city of Minneapolis. Like most cities, there’s light pollution, car noises, and all the other things we associate with cities.

Type-A students are concerned about grades, sports, extra-curriculars, and future college admissions. We are very much perfectionists, obsessive about awards, recognition and academic achievement.

I love my window; the window that lets me see outside. But today, when I looked outside, I noticed something. The clouds were dark but not storm clouds. Smoke and pollution were filling the skies and making it hard to look outside.

There is a swirl of color that accompanies all things. 

Every twist and turn, every fall and failure. All words spoken and sung, every smile or laugh. 

There's a point you can't look for that means you wait; homework tucked away, lips chapped yet somehow unbleeding, socks on in bed the way you never have before.

Today the skin of my knuckles split. Blood made a little stain on the back of my hand, and it stung. I saw the splotch, at first, earlier in the day, anyway, and it wasn't too bad, just a little red circle.

The white mouse turns a corner and slides on the cold tile of the kitchen floor. The grey-striped cat follows closely behind, its claws clattering as it chases the quick blur of white.

In the blustery cold of today’s noonday sun, I stand holding a sign amongst a group of people with similar signs.

What has happened to us?

In the last couple of years, our government has changed, and not in a good way. This is the second term of Donald Trump, and it may be the last term for a president, ever.

As you reach the end of the hallway, you notice someone behind you. They have their hands full, and they appear to be in a good mood. They are six feet away, and there is no one following them.

Money makes the world go round. You may have heard this expression in songs, speeches, and even tweets, but have you ever thought to wonder how exactly money makes the world go round?