A PORTRAIT OFA YOUNG WOMAN

Tyra Abraham

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“Nothing ever becomes real until it is experienced.”

— John Keats

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On Days Like This

you can see little beadsfalling through fog and concrete clouds,as they glide down your bedroom window, and plummet to the ground,

plip- plop,

creating deep puddles wherelittle kids would splash around in glee,their laughter, so full of bliss and delight

on days like thisyou snuggle under a mountain of blankets,with a cup of hot chocolateand a good book,oblivious to the passing of timeuntil a faint knock on the bedroom doorbrings you back to reality

on days like thisthe lights of the cityreflect off the puddles on the sidewalk,and create an ethereal scenery.the streets seem never-ending, andthe tail lights of cars ableto be seen frommiles away

on days like thisi wish they would come more oftenfor there’s no such thing astoo many blankets andtoo many books andtoo much hot chocolate

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"Morning found us calmly unaware, noon burned gold into our hair. At night, we swam the laughing sea, when summer's gone where will we be?"

— The Doors

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Summer

i have known the taste of salt waterthe feeling of the soft, grainy sand

in between my toes,the earthly smell of forests after it rains,

the sun radiating brilliantly,showering my body with a special glow,

the feeling of cool ice creammelting on my tongue,

the arms of Sebago Lakewrapping around my bodyas I plunged into a pool of

happiness anddelight.

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“How we need another soul to cling to, another body to keep us warm. To rest and to trust: I need this, I need someone to pour myself into.”

— Sylvia Plath

“Your heart is like a great river after a long spell of rain, spilling over its banks. All signposts that once stood on the ground are gone, inundated and carried away by that rush

of water. And still the rain beats down on the surface of the river. Every time you see a flood like that on the news you tell yourself: That’s it. That’s my heart.”

— Haruki Murakami

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I met a boy

I met a boy whoshowed me the true meaning ofhappiness and glee

Hello

he said helloand that is when I became lost

second by secondfalling hard for his toothy grin

and easygoing laughand his vibrant blue eyes,

like the lakewe had sailed on

togetherlast summer

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“Perhaps someday I’ll crawl back home, beaten, defeated. But not as long as I can make stories out of my heartbreak, beauty out of sorrow.”

— Sylvia Plath

“I can bear any pain as long as it has meaning.”

— Haruki Murakami

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At Times

these mountains in my pathseem too hard to climb,insurmountable.but upon closer lookthese mountains arenothing but mere hillsand suddenlyanything is possible.

call me foolishbut I will ascenduntil I can gaze atinfinity.

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“Not all those who wander are lost”

— J.R.R. Tolkien

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The Timeless Wanderer

i have known the airport concourse,the uncomfortable five hour bus rides,the smell of gasoline,the tiny cracks in the sidewalks, andthe never-ending highways.

i have seen the sun set countless of timesas i cruise down long and winding roadsi have seen the moon shine brilliantly,its bright light illuminating the railroad cari have seen the white puffy clouds outside of my window,so close that i want to reach out

in all of these placesi have left a piece of mehoping that somedayyou’d be able toput together thepuzzle of mysoul

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“Experience is not what happens to a man.It is what a man does with what happens to him.”

— Aldous Huxley

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