rant | Young Writers Project

Sep 11

EllietheGecko

WILD F**KING FIRE

Did you know that there's such a thing as a controlled burn? Yep. Here's what controlled burning is: "Controlled burning is any fire intentionally ignited to meet specific land management objectives, such as to... restore ecosystem health" (USDA). And do you know what tends to happen? The earth naturally needs to burn sometimes. And humans often stop that burning if it occurs near them! So then what do you have? A bunch of super-dry-about-to-burn grass. This happens over and over again and you end up with a large amount of land that is dry and burnable, so when lightning strikes or somebody throws a smoking cigarette out of their car window and into a field, that dry field can catch fire. Of course, there are other things to consider that I've left out like climate change and the way humans are affecting ecosystems everywhere and the complete crap thats going on, but honestly I'm tired of watching things burn. So I will let it be.

Posted: 09.11.20

Sep 01

poem, fiction, rant 2 comments challenge: School 2020

ZoeBee

The hands of time

I've seen the hands of time. Wisend gnarled old fingers, long and slender, in shades of murky grey. The hands grope around the edges of my nightmares, prod the clay of my subconscious, shatter the frames of my memory. The hands of time hold, held, will hold, my brain in its palm. I've become it's plaything. Days blend into nights, seconds turn to hours in the blink of an eon. The hangs do not know why they hold me, that much I can tell. Perhaps they were lonley, stuck in the maze of space all alone. Maybe they're malicious, peeling back the scabs of old wounds ever so tenderly, and pouring centuries of contemplation into foaming brine. I will not know until they release me, whenever that is. For now I'm stuck, staring at the hands of time.

Posted: 09.01.20

Aug 25

poem, rant 0 comments

Sunflowergirl

The demons in my mirror

I have to cover my mirror with a scarf every night. Or I'm sure that the demons inside will escape and kill me in my sleep.

i know they don't exist.
but I still do it every time.

Posted: 08.25.20

Aug 23

nonfiction, rant 3 comments

Whitney

Words Left Unspoken

What
The
Heck!

Why are you doing this to me?
I’m riding an emotional rollercoaster
With you at the controls

At first I pardoned your offense
Creating excuses
To ease the pain
I just can’t imagine
You hurting me on purpose

After a week and a half you suddenly started texting again
Acting as if nothing has happened
I play along not wanting to pick
At the fresh scab laid apon our friendship

A month later you ghost me, again
For not one
Not two
But three weeks!
My plentiful messages left read
With no reply
Finally I got up the gall to confront the worries whirling inside
Asking in sencerity if I angered you in some way
Your reply sounds feasible
Family trouble
A loved one gone
Nothing personal
Plumes of guilt invade my conscious
How could I jump to worse case scenario

Posted: 08.23.20

Aug 20

poem, rant 4 comments

LadyMidnight

permanent ink

I try not to have any regrets
but yet I find myself
sometimes in debt
to the man in the corner
with his scraping beard
and jagged silhouette

he's the one I would have feared
inside his web of crawling
threads
a single cigarette
draping from his lips of lead

a stream of smoke that slowly ebbs
inside my mind
offset from the kind of things
that normally would have appeared
a speeding train threatening to upset
the notion
that we are intertwined

a minuet to which we are blind
an orchestral chant
a rant
for those who bled
instead of breathing
for those who fought instead
of dreaming

because once you wait your turn in line
until your empty fate's assigned
time will burn in fiery red
a soulless threat
we may not have volunteered
for this
but why are we still inclined
to find
what words will stay

Posted: 08.20.20

Aug 14

rant 0 comments challenge: CJP-Climate2

madeleinec0

Little changes save lives

To help our planet all you truly need is a fresh mindset. In the past few months I've grown from someone who simply enjoys nature, to someone who deeply appreciates its value. I then wanted to find ways to give back to this lovely earth whom we've broken so much. However, focusing on the negative is part of the problem. Yes our ecosystems are dying, but you know that, what needs to become more known is hope. The hope that you and others can change your ways and open your mind. You can save the planet. The sooner you realize it, the more empowering it is.

I started small, by shopping at thrift stores more often. Not only is thrifting the most eco friendly way to shop, but it is a lot more fun. So after I started thrift shopping I stopped buying from big retail stores. I even brought out my old sewing machine and patterns and made myself a few shirts.

Posted: 08.14.20

Aug 09

nonfiction, rant, humor 0 comments

Silent Wolf

The Story of Coming Out (and being closeted)

Note: I'm writing this the way I speak, so I apologize for any grammatical errors.

Before I was out, things were simpler, to say the least. The questions were less, "ooo, who do you like, spill!" And more like, "oo, what are you going to have for dinner, DANG IT, you spilled the tea! Go clean that up!" Or rather, that was before any of us were thinking about being out and more about what we were going to find in our lunchboxes (let me tell you, I often found the strangest things—orange peel, dog food, even the odd piece of string that my cat had clearly ruined).

Posted: 08.09.20

Aug 02

rant 2 comments

fire girl

Yes, I'm a Witch

Yes, I'm a witch.
Let me clear some things up,

No, I don't practice voodoo.
No, I don't wear a pointy black hat.
No, I don't curse anyone, I only bless.
No I'm not evil.
No, I'm not Goth or hippie, don't categorize me.
No, I can't fly on a broomstick, no one can.
No, I don't worship Satan, I worship life and creation.
No, I don't sacrifice animals, I just told you I worship life.
No, I'm not in a cult.
No, I can't make things float.
No, the pentacle and pentagram are NOT signs of Satan.

Witches aren't the same as gypsies,
men can be witches too,
witches do NOT summon demons,
witchcraft is not the same as paganism and/or Wicca,
witches don't possess people OR levitate.
witches are human,
witches can dress in whatever they want, not just black,
witchcraft IS a religious practice,
Wicca, paganism and witchcraft are all different than satanism.

Posted: 08.02.20

Jul 30

rant 2 comments

Alessandra G.

Who Came up with Prom King and Queen Anyway?

I absolutely detest the idea of prom king and queen. As a high school student, I can say that, unfortunately, popularity and self-consciousness still eat away at people just like in middle school. So who’s bright idea was it to pit clearly vulnerable people against each other to their own destruction? Prom, short for promenade, originated in the 19th century, from banquets of which each university’s graduating class would celebrate. As harmless as this sounds, the 1894 Smith College gathering to “dine and dance” has somehow grown into something vile, with the ability to wreak havoc on the joy of prom. On a night where teens should be celebrating their high school experience and having a good time, instead the result of a popular vote and conventional beauty is applauded-and crowned-on stage.

Posted: 07.30.20

Jul 25

rant 0 comments challenge: CJP-2020

Yellow Sweater

Monotonous Extremes.

I live in a place where most of the year the ground is soft, where the edges are blurred by a multitude of greens. When I was a child, even the summers were mild and wet. But in recent years, the heat has lasted longer and burned harder. Now when I run barefoot through the park, dust coats my toes and the grass crunches under my feet. I hold my breath till the rain comes, waiting for the unrelenting cascade of grotesquely perfect days to end. The dryness is made all the more palpable by the absurd irony of longing for what in the past was dreaded: winter. I miss the cozy clouds. The endless blue of the sky feels oppressive in its openness. Every morning I look up, hoping for some sort of change, some sort of relief. I am terrified the rain will never come again. Dust is a poor substitute for mud.

Posted: 07.25.20

Jul 14

rant 1 comment

its.claudia

Yay me...note the sarcasm

I haven't felt like myself since school abruptly ended. I don't talk to my friends much. I barely go outside unless it's to walk to dogs or check the mail. I've had to take more responsibility than what I was used to. My sister moved out. She helped everthing go by faster. Since she left, I've had to be the responsible older sister. I have to clean the kitchen, living room, bathroom, do laundry, help clean my moms room, watch my brother, take care of the dogs, feed my brother, feed the animals, make dinner, clean up after everyone, then somehow find time to clean my room. I have no time to myself. Did I mention that my brother absolutely LOVES making messes? So I have to clean one mess after another.

Posted: 07.14.20

Jul 13

poem, essay, rant 0 comments challenge: Open

lilnoreault

Open Your Eyes

Open Your Eyes!
If You say there is no issue with what Humanity has done
Open. Your. Eyes.
there is a problem
and just cause YOU
don't see it or think it's not.
People are dying!
We as a society can't let people walk on the streets without being stared at
What the #*%$
I wish we could just be in peace all around planet earth for
1 SECOND
no...
that's not how it works
Children are the future but they won't listen
Even when we scream we are pushed aside
im tired of being told it can't work one way
because people won't MAKE it work
there is a different in I can't and I won't

Open Your Eyes
people who are as different as you are just as beautiful, Powerful, Amazing

Posted: 07.13.20

Jul 07

essay, rant 0 comments

EllietheGecko

A message to the Out-Goers

How can you?

I’m tired of asking the world that. I’m tired of watching people I care about make stupid decisions. I’m tired of hoping that things will get better. Most of all, I’m tired of watching my country fail. And we are failing. The work that some people have put in to stay home, stay safe, wear a mask, wipe things down, and be respectful of others has turned out completely irrelevent. We try hard to set an example for you, and yet you disregard us. For all that we’ve done, we do not exist because unfortunetly it hasn’t changed things. I was hopeful at one point, I think, but that was when people weren’t dying by the thousands. Now I’m just angry.

Posted: 07.07.20

Jul 04

rant 0 comments

activist_fieldhockey

Dear racists

Dear racists,

you rip the world apart
not that it isn't already in shreds
your just adding to the pile
making each piece smaller and smaller
you throw bleach over our art when we paint Black Lives Matter on the street
you comment under our empowering Instagram posts
you throw cans at my grandparents for being in a biracial relationship
you shout all lives matter but refuse to admit that black lives are the ones under fire
you take out guns whenever 'you people' act too white
you stare at the brown skin girl's curls like she has two heads
you call us libtards for seeing through your double standards and generalization
you see Charlie Davis, my own flesh and blood, my mothers father, one of my best friends
but you don't really see him
all but his brown skin, his afro, his voice
you decide to shoot his dog.
you know if you had pointed the gun at him instead, the punishment would still be nothing

Posted: 07.04.20

Jul 02

rant 0 comments

pbellomo2021

A Thought

Everyone fawns over us when we get big. After you've struggled your way to the top, only then are you visible. After you put in the hours, cried a hundred nights, failed again and again, then someone has the audacity to say "wow, you're really special." They claim to love you, but they only love the idea of you. They think they know you, but they only know what you put on display. Love yourself first, because nobody else knows the blood, sweat, and tears you've endured. They don't even know the half of it.

Posted: 07.02.20

Jun 27

rant 0 comments

sburnse

Vote.

I would say, "Don't waste your vote this fall," but not everyone who reads this will have the privilege of voting on November 3rd, 2020.
Please, do not waste your VOICE this fall.

I have no way of knowing what kind of beliefs you've grown up with. What kind of religious practices, parental decisions, or extended family situations have impacted your morals. And to be perfectly honest (and a wee bit blunt) I really don't care at this moment in time. I don't care if your parents grew up as ultra conservatives, mega liberals or anywhere on the increasingly broad spectrum that lies in between.

I do care that you have conversations with people of all different backgrounds, political orientations, and groups that are opposed to your beliefs. I care that, if you feel internal conflict or confusion based upon the voices of influence in your life, you engage with people who can educate you.

Posted: 06.27.20

Jun 27

rant 1 comment challenge: BLM

activist_fieldhockey

Black Lives Matter

Black Lives Matter
you say
write it in your bio
post it on your stories
Black Lives Matter
you say
until you want to touch my mom's hair
Black Lives Matter
until you compare the only black man you know to every any black person you see
Black Lives Matter
until you want yours to matter too
Black Lives Matter
until being black is an exotic and foreign thing to you
Black Lives Matter
until in history class, you single out the one black boy in your head
Black Lives Matter
until the protesters should be a little more peaceful
until all cops aren't bad
Black lives matter
until the ghetto is filled with 'dangerous kinds of people'
Black Lives Matter
until you defend your racist parents
Black Lives Matter
until you underestimate systemic racism
until you 'didn't choose to be white'
Black Lives Matter
until you 'don't see color' yet color is all you see

Posted: 06.27.20

Jun 19

rant 0 comments

the morose writer

ctrl + v liberation

to ~~whomsoever this applies~~ everyone:

keep fighting. the problem cannot be solved without you. inorder to end injustice, we need to unite. we need to bring all of our communities together. we will be stronger if we support each other. if we all rise to the occasion TOGETHER we can rid the earth of racism, sexism, homophobia, transphobia, xenophobia, and discriminations of all kinds.

to each person individually, if YOU decide to change the world, do it. there will be others who are simultaneously working towards making the world a better place.
you are not alone.

tldr; join hand in hand and annihalate discrimination of all kinds

ctrl + x
until _____

Posted: 06.19.20

Jun 19

rant 1 comment

the morose writer

ctrl + v love is love

i was asked by a volunteer group what pride means to me:

to me, pride is a collage--a work of art. It's a beautiful and colorful celebration and culture to be seen and experienced.

with every work of art comes a story. the story of pride is not jsut filled with joy and filled with pain and hardship and struggle. it's a long-term community coming together over time, joining hand-in-hand to show the world that they are content with who they are, and they are PROUD.
with pride comes the story of the struggle and the celebration of what has come from it all. a beautiful masterpiece which commemorates those who were both lost and found. a triumph that creates a community dear to our hearts.

tldr; pride is a work of art which reminds us to love, respect, and care for who we are.

happy pride

ctrl + x
until ________

Posted: 06.19.20

Jun 18

rant 3 comments

Inkpaw

i just want somebody to understand.

i dont know what to do anymore. im tired of being lonely and i wish i could just bash my head into the wall until i cant feel anything anymore. sometimes i curl my hands into fists until my fingernails dig into my palms, because i feel like i cant do anything i cant fix the sickness in my grandmother's body, i cant solve the puzzle of the girl i love, im not even able to cry anymore. things just feel dull, empty, blank. i dont even know what i want, i just want to stop feeling so alone and despreate and sad. maybe i should stop listening to sad music, but it makes me feel like somebody understands. sometimes i wonder if im addicted somehow, in some twisted sick way, to this feeling of emotional suffering. i lie of course, when people ask me how i am, i smile and make myself live in a mask, a porcilain vase around my head, sculpted from my fear, fear of people knowing that. . . im not ok. that im sad underneath the happy smiles and determined attidute.

Posted: 06.18.20