Drifting

Author’s Note: This poem is not based on the picture above, it's just a picture I found that conveyed this piece nicely. With this piece I want to show that even though things change and people change, the cuts and bruises will heal, with time.

sometimes friends

drift away

and you begin to feel

you don't know them

anymore

they have changed

and so have you

your similarities

aren't so abundant

anymore

they are replaced

with differences

as deep as a canyon

it's painful at first

it always is

but after pain

come forgiveness

and then it all just fades

to fond memories

of the good times you had

and the memories you made

but don’t forget

you have other friends

whose similarities

to you are growing

and expanding

while there will always be differences

just remember that similarities

and fun times shared

make up for the little differences

the real true best friends

realize when they are drifting

and close the void

while friends who aren’t nearly as true

just let the void grow

until you are separated by miles

and miles

Changing The Stereotype

Author's Note: For my District Writing Assessment Piece, I went back and edited my most recent essay, which also happened to be my most complex and challenging piece. I went through and changed many things with the mechanics and grammar, but I also changed some sentences around so that they get my point across more effectively. I hope that when you read this piece you feel the same frustration and anger that I did when researching the concept of beauty in today's terms. But, keep in mind you can make a difference as well, even if it's just passing on this message to others, just do something.

What if we lined up all of the girls and women in the world and compared their looks to determine who is beautiful and who isn't?  There are curvy girls, flat chested girls, girls with high cheek bones, girls with long noses, girls with blonde hair, girls with red hair; this list could go on and on.  Why does society try to determine what is pretty and what is not if there is such a wide variety of body types and styles out there?  Whether it be in the workplace or just in everyday life, when women are treated differently based upon their looks it either sets them back in their career or gives them an unfair advantage: this practice is extremely unjust and needs to be stopped.

Stereotypes are something society is good at creating, the stereotype of beauty that our society has created has greatly affected the workplace.  Fifty-seven percent of employers stated that qualified, but unattractive candidates are going to have a harder time finding a job.  Also, more than half of these employers advised spending as much time on how they look as they spend on their resume. (Bennet)  These statistics are startlingly true, and it’s sad to think that women need to focus on “being attractive” rather than their academic achievement and qualifications for a job.  While those statistics are about getting you hired, what about your looks on the job?  According to Newsweek Magazine, published in July of 2010, 61 percent of managers, the majority of them being men, said it would be an advantage for a woman to wear clothing showing off her figure at work.  This personally made me cringe; the fact that women have to show off their curves to get a promotion is just incredulous.  It should always be an environment where you are hired and promoted because of your skills, not your outer appearance.  This image of beauty that has been created has completely corrupted our country.

Women in the workforce definitely get a hard time about what they wear, but where does it all start?  The teen years of course.  Magazines that portray women in a glamorous way and TV shows featuring teenagers thrust an unrealistic image onto us.  To see what this image is, I picked up Seventeen Magazine’s February 2013 issue and paged through it, looking specifically at the models and the similar characteristics they shared.  They all had average noses, perfectly styled hair, tight clothes, low cut or short dresses, and perfect white teeth.  These characteristics were blatantly displayed throughout the magazine.  I found it sickening, personally because  there was no diversity, no flaws.  Flaws are what make each person unique; we must take our flaws and make them our beauty.  I also found one huge fact that this magazine screams at you right from the start: you cannot have blemishes.  Not a single model had any sort of blemish, they were all airbrushed to perfection, a sea of smooth faces.  This really irked me.  When I look around, all teenagers are definitely not blemish free; it’s a goal that is unrealistic and near impossible.  Magazines should be portraying all body types, flaws and all, but they don’t as a result they are just catapulting teenage girls into a hard life of conforming to the stereotype.  

Society has sunk their claws nice and deep into the image of beauty, but there are people fighting this issue with all their might.  Recently, as I was browsing the internet for information on this topic, I found an image relating to beauty and its many sides (Mark).  The picture was simple, near the top of the image it said “Victoria’s Secret Love My Body Campaign” and there were several models featured in women’s undergarments.  Then below that, there was a dividing line and below the line it said “Dove Real Beauty Campaign, and again there were several models.  These campaigns seem fairly similar, but the huge difference is the models.  The Victoria’s Secret models were so skinny they seemed almost skeletal.  How can we love our bodies if the campaign tells us our bodies should all look the same, impossibly thin?   In comparison, Dove’s models were all varying in height and body type; they looked like just regular people you could pull of the street.  Dove’s campaign gave me confidence that people are fighting this view on “outer beauty”.  At the same time, the Victoria’s Secret campaign disappointed me because it’s showing that social media is going to fight right back.  I know it’s possible for organizations to take charge and begin to dig us out of this hole we are all stuck in; I know this because I’ve found a website doing just that titled “Beauty Redefined”, written by two women who want to make a difference for other women.  Throughout their website they feature quotes such as “You are capable of much more than just being looked at” and “Your reflection does not define your worth” (Kite).  These quotes are inspirational and true.  So many girls want to look pretty or look beautiful, but there’s so much more to life than that.  Everybody has talents, and they can shine, if they just put their mirrors down and leave society’s view of beauty behind.  

I have come across many articles that tried to describe beauty, but you just can’t and no matter how hard you try, you will never get it right.  This is because everybody is beautiful in their own special way, but sadly discrimination based upon this stereotype of beauty  follows women throughout their lives and social media just fuels the flames.   As I was researching this topic, I wanted to give up so many times because everything in the media was so negatively influencing girls and I was influenced by the stereotype myself; it really hit home. Thankfully,  there are those diamonds in the rough though, for example, Dove’s campaign and the website Beauty Redefined.  They helped me push through and reaffirm my beliefs.  Beauty should not be the leading factor in success and achievement; beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

Bibliography

Bennet, Jessica. The Beauty Advantage . 26 July 2010. Article. 27 March 2013.

Kite, Lindsay and Lexie. Beauty Redefined. 2012. Website. 9 April 2013.

Mark, Elyse. Body Positivity Today . 11 October 2012. Article. 9 April 2013.

Stuck

Author’s Note: This short poem was inspired by the picture below.  It started out as a reflective piece, but the more I thought about it, the more it seemed to fit better as a poem.  So I switched up the layout, made a few tweeks and now it’s a poem.  I wrote this piece when I was feeling especially alone.  I hope you can feel my feeling defeat and lonlieness throughout this piece, because there was a lot of it running through my mind when I wrote it.

sometimes I feel like this tree

just out on my own

even though birds pass over

or even land on the branches

they don’t stay for very long  

just long enough

to earn my trust

and then to throw it back in my face

as they fly away

and here I sit

letting the cool waves

wash over me  

they are never powerful enough

to knock me over

but strong enough

to discourage me from moving

forward.  

I feel adrift

it’s like i’m walking through this world

with a blindfold on

and nobody will stop to help me

all I do is trip and stumble

it’s only a matter of time

before I refuse to get back up

The Rose That Runs Your Life

Author's Note: This piece is very personal to me, because even though I am not these people I put a little bit of myself and how I feel into each character.  I hope you appreciate this piece for what it really is, a message to students in Middle School and High School.  This is a message for people to open their eyes and see that there are people struggling right in their peer group

A meadow of flowers sways in the breeze yet,  there is but one flower that does not move.  It is independent; free.  It is as white as the purest silk, petals flawlessly shaped, like raindrops falling from the sky.  Each soft petal overlapping another.  Along the stem, small thorns peek out at you.  The thorns protect this beautiful piece of nature, from the harm that this cruel world brings.  This flower brings out the beauty in the world that is hidden ever so well.  You slowly walk up to it, stepping on the rejected flowers of the meadow. The rose stands defiantly, waiting for your hands; you start walking faster, but the rose does not get closer.  Your hands start shaking; your mind is racing.  Why can you not reach this beauty?  The rose just keeps getting further and further away.  

This is the world we live in.  We make it look like the picture of beauty, when in reality it is collapsing in on itself.  There’s more to our downfall than the debt and other government related problems though.   What about the teenagers wandering through the world with a blindfold on?  Being aware of the problem is one thing, but taking action is another.  Teenagers are the country’s soon to be adults, but without the right guidance and support many won’t make it.  

A girl walks through school tugging on her sleeves so nobody will see her scars.  Deep down she wants somebody to notice this, but everybody just passes her by.  This girl is on the edge of the cliff, one step away from pummeling down to the steep, jagged rocks below.  You may think, what is one life going to do?  That girl could have very well been the President of the United States, solving our nation’s debt problems, but it’s too late now.  The depression has pushed her off of the edge and she just keeps falling.  

A shy boy walks down the same hallway, avoiding eye contact and staying below the radar.  He is different.  He is not into sports or video games, he loves to read and write.  The other guys think this is hilarious and he is the butt of the jokes.  This boy simply holds in his tears in and pushes through the hallway.  He is also on the edge.  Again, what is one life going to do?  This boy could have grown up to write a book on the meaning of life, that inspired millions, but it’s too late.  He has been pushed off the edge and there’s nothing that can be done.  

Another girl walks through the hallway, squeezing between people.  She makes her way to the bathroom and closes the stall.  She carefully lifts up her shirt and peers at her stomach, normal people would see a flat stomach, with ribs just poking through, but she sees fat that needs to be shed.  No lunch for her.  Her confidence is so far below the chart, it just up and left.  Other girls know she is anorexic, but what do they do?  They laugh at the lack of food on her tray and her bony composure.  This girl is on the edge, ready to fall off.  What is one life going to do you ask?  This girl could have been a front runner in fashion, setting trends like there was no tomorrow, but it is too late.  She’s falling and there’s no way to get her back up.  

In the end, three lives have been lost and there’s nothing that can be done.  That flower was the acceptance these people were reaching for, but sadly could not grasp.  The deed is done.  Do you still ask: “It’s just one life, what’s the big deal?”  If so, you need a reality check.  Each life is a precious glass heart carried through the raging storms of life.  Some make it, some just tread water, and some are pushed, off the edge.  

My Two Cents on Kindness

Author's Note:  I don't write a lot besides poetry, because it's what I'm comfortable with, but today I stepped out of my comfort zone to share this piece that I wrote.  I composed this at about 9:00 last night.  My eyes were sleepy, but my mind and heart were awake with this moment.  

Tonight I experienced true kindness.  Not that fake stuff we tend to use at school or in the workplace. The kind that only comes by once in awhile, like a shooting star.  It happened when my Dad and I were leaving Office Max.  We came up to an intersection where we had to turn right.  My Dad has a small truck and the roads were icy and slushy.  Get the picture?  Let me paint it for you.  We could not turn because the tires were spinning.  I noticed the two blinding heights of a minivan behind us.  My dad let out a curse under his breath and tried again, but he still spun.  I got a little nervous, because I’m just a nervous person, but that’s beside the point.  I watched puzzled as my dad cracked his door and motioned his hand for the guy to go around.  The van backed up and pulled up next to us.  I expected a few curses, or rude gestures but instead the man rolled down his passenger window.  My dad followed suit with the same confused expression as I.  I felt the sharp winter air as the man behind the wheel spoke.  He said a few words that made spread genuine warmth through my body.  He asked if we were alright and if we’d make it home okay.  My heart flipped as my dad replied with a “Nah, we’ll be fine, thanks”.  With a quick wave both windows were up and the moment was over as quickly as it had started.  The van pulled away.  My Dad backed up and with a bit more spinning and effort we made the turn.  Even though we left that intersection, that moment has not left my mind.  That man could have pulled away not caring at all about us, but he took the time to stop, and ask.  I don’t know that man and I probably never will.  I don’t know if he lives a hectic life, if he has a wife, if he has kids, if he lives alone.  None of that mattered, he showed genuine kindness to complete strangers and I still feel warm inside from that stranger who took time out of his life to be concerned about ours.  

When Everlasting Ends

Author's Note:  I changed my mind, this poem would be a far better piece to use for an assignment concerning word choice and figurative language. Because, well, let's be honest my last poem ("The Power of Observation") is not my best work.  I absolutely love figurative language, but not in a goofy way.  I want you to feel this piece, I want you to picture it in your mind, and most of all I want you to leave with some sort of emotion brought out of you.  I want my pieces to provoke emotions that you avoid because facing your fears is just part of life.  I'm not going to go and try to explain this poem because I don't want to explain it, and I don't want you to try and "figure it out"  I just want you to read it and feel it. 

everlasting
they say it lasts forever
everlasting love
everlasting happiness
everlasting hope
what happens when
everlasting comes to an end?

everlasting love ends in
divorce
break-ups
loss

everlasting happiness ends in
sadness
grief
remorse

everlasting hope ends in
despair
emptiness
failure

when everlasting ends
there is nothing to love
nothing to be happy about
nothing to hope for

life becomes hollow
and meaningless
there’s a void
that can never be filled

everlasting does not always
last forever
some count the days
until it ends
others hide from the end
and try to make time stand still

I just live life
the way I want to be remembered
for when everlasting comes to an end
there are still memories
that surface
from time to time

instead of focsing
on the end
focus on the things between

life is a painting
each brushstroke
gets you closer and closer
to the finished product
but
it’s not about the finished product  
it’s about each single brush stroke
that defines what your painting
is all about

when everlasting comes to an end
how would you want to be remembered?

The Power of Observation

Author's Note: Okay, my poems may seem a bit depressing, but I write how I feel in the moment.  I'm not some super depressed person, but sometimes I feel down so I write.  In this piece I wanted to highlight sentence variety and depth.  These aren't exactly sentences, but I tried to vary the structure and word choice.  

You glance at me
reading a book
tuned out to the world
you call me a nerd
do you ever wonder why I tune out the world?


you see me
maybe with my family
or hanging out with my friends
what you don’t see
is the social anxiety
weighing down on my back
or the small cloud of depression
looming over me

you hear me
not very often
because I am afraid
of truly speaking my mind
I’m on the outside
looking in

you judge me
based on my appearance
the pain has become numb
I don’t feel it anymore
I am uncomfortable with my body
so I wear layers

you really look at me
never
you never see the real me
because you don’t bother to look
at more than the layers of clothing
and the quiet personality

Dreaming is Escaping

Author's Note: This poem was inspired by "Le Blanc Seing" by artist Rene Magritte.  I saw this piece as an escape from reality, something I try to do as often as I can.  When I was brainstorming, I thought of dreaming and how it opposes reality, so I incorporated that as well.  I hope this piece gives you a little escape from reality.  

reality is perfection
this is what you say
do your words speak truth?
when I look out
I see reality
but no perfection
why would we dream
if reality was already perfect?
reality is the straight and narrow of life
that nobody wants to face
cold and unforgiving

when your dreams become reality
they become part of the harsh world you avoid
you must keep your dreams and reality separate
for if they merge
they just become reality
and there is nothing left to dream

reality is the black and white
the truth
dreams are what we want to be true
but can never be

to dream
is to hope
and hope gives us life
a life away
from the reality
that we see out our window
every day

What You Should Know

Author's Note:  I thought of this piece while taking a shower.  It's where I do all of my best thinking, if this matters to you.  I was feeling especially down on myself when I started to compare myself to others in my school.  I quickly scolded myself for doing such a thing.  I know I should never compare myself to anybody, but sometimes it's hard when feel so different from everybody else.  I have anxiety, but I don't show it that much.  I thought this letter might be a good way to blow of some steam and show who I am, somewhat.  In this piece I also tried to demonstrate my use of comas and semicolons to enhance my knowledge of them, and how they fit into sentences. 

Dear Outgoing People,

I see you laugh; I see you do quirky things to get the attention of your peers.  You are outgoing and you are not afraid of what people think.  I watch you with envy, because I cannot do this.  You call me quiet, but how can you do that when you have never seen me loud?  You cannot throw comparison words at me when you have nothing to compare them to.  Maybe this little letter will give you some insight, or maybe you just don’t care.
I’m a pretty optimistic person, but  I would much rather blend into the backdrop than to stand out.  I have what you might call social anxiety, or if you feel like being a little harsh about it, you could call me socially awkward.  You say i’m quiet, but sometimes I can’t help it.  Are you still not getting it?  Let me explain further, in most classes I know the answer to a question 90% of the time but I will only raise my hand 25% of the time because I am terrified of getting the answer wrong and having it pointed out.  Teachers make my social anxiety worse without knowing it.  The sympathetic looks and the pathetic responses of “I’m sorry no” or “Close but not quite” slowly melt away my confidence.  I would love to present my writing or poetry, but the fear of judgement gets in the way.  I have no fear of public speaking, just the fear of what people will think of me after I stop speaking.  Interacting with people outside of my friends is a day to day challenge.  I don’t think you realize how much it hurts to be called quiet or shy.  I sign up for drama solely to be on tech crew.  The drama teachers don’t understand why there aren’t many people on tech crew in the class.  It’s because all of us shy people are still subjected to performing skits and monologues when these things are the least of our interests.  So now you’ve seen what it’s like for somebody who is “shy” or “quiet”.  Basically I’ve just given you a mini tour of my mind.  
My biggest question is, what will you do with this newfound information?  Will you look at me and see me for the person I really am or will you still slap labels like “shy girl” and “quiet girl” on me?  Will this information go in one ear and out the other or will it sink in and give you a new perspective on people like me?

Sincerely,
Just another socially awkward girl

What You Really Are

Author's Note: In this piece I analyzed the lyrics to the song How You Remind Me by Nickelback.  This song is about a guy, singing to a girl who left him and it discusses his various problems.  I decided to argue right back with a creative piece in the girl's point of view.  I really wanted to show how different both stories are and how the point of view changes the song in a large way.  Below are the song lyrics (italicized) and below that is my creative piece in the girl's point of view (not italicized).

Never made it as a wise man
I couldn't cut it as a poor man stealing
Tired of living like a blind man
I'm sick of sight without a sense of feeling
And this is how you remind me

This is how you remind me
Of what I really am
This is how you remind me
Of what I really am

It's not like you to say sorry
I was waiting on a different story
This time I'm mistaken
For handing you a heart worth breaking

And I've been wrong, I've been down
Been to the bottom of every bottle
These five words in my head
Scream, "Are we having fun yet?"

Yeah, yeah, yeah
No, no
Yeah, yeah, yeah
No, no

It's not like you didn't know that
I said I love you and I swear I still do
And it must have been so bad
Cause living with me must have dang near killed you

And this is how you remind me
Of what I really am
This is how you remind me
Of what I really am

It's not like you to say sorry
I was waiting on a different story
This time I'm mistaken
For handing you a heart worth breaking

And I've been wrong, I've been down
Been to the bottom of every bottle
These five words in my head
Scream, "Are we having fun yet?"

Yeah, yeah, yeah
No, no
Yeah, yeah, yeah
No, no

Yeah, yeah, yeah
No, no
Yeah, yeah, yeah
No, no

Never made it as a wise man
I couldn't cut it as a poor man stealing
And this is how you remind me
This is how you remind me

This is how you remind me
Of what I really am
This is how you remind me
Of what I really am

It's not like you to say sorry
I was waiting on a different story
This time I'm mistaken
For handing you a heart worth breaking

And I've been wrong, I've been down
Been to the bottom of every bottle
These five words in my head
Scream, "Are we having fun yet?"

Yeah, yeah
Are we having fun yet?
Yeah, yeah
Are we having fun yet?
Yeah, yeah
Are we having fun yet?
Yeah, yeah
No, no

What you really are?  Do you want to know what you really are?  For the past two years you have used me, pushing me away and pulling my right back in whenever you please.  How dare you say that I remind you of the selfish conniving person you really are.  I want to be nothing like you, and my life would have been much more pleasant without you in it.  I cannot believe you are out telling these lies!  How could I have broken your heart?  You have no heart!  You took my heart and threw it at a wall, shattering it into a million pieces, and you just watched the shards fall to the floor.  One night, I just reached my breaking point.  You were, as usual, polishing off bottle after bottle of alcohol, the very reason for the demise of this relationship.  Then, you started hurling insults like there was no tomorrow.  It was just the normal slur of “You need to lose weight” or “Stop being so weak”.  Normally I would apologise and sneak off to my room, but this night something snapped.  The gears in my head started turning.  This has happened too many times, and I’m not going to stand for it.  So I told you off.  How’s that for the weak little chick you keep around “just cause”.  It felt good, really good, but nothing can compensate for the hurt and anguish you’ve cause me.  Don’t even try to tell me “I love you”  you don’t even know what love means.  I feel no love for you.  I feel nothing towards you.  So i’m leaving, without regret.

A Sneak Peak

Hello to all in the blogosphere!  To anybody who reads this blog, I apologize I don't do much creative writing outside of poetry.  That's about to change!  I  have started writing a somewhat short story written in short chapter-like installments.  I will be posting them as I finish them, hopefully. ^^  Here is a quick preview of my story:

The screaming started around 4:30 about 20 minutes after he checked my homework.  He must have finished checking Matthew and Louis’ homework by now.  Dad is fast and efficient.  Mom. He’s yelling at mom.  I’m not sure about what.  I don’t even know if he’s sure what.  I hear a soft thud like a basketball hitting the carpet.  Now he’s getting violent, this is not going to be a good night.  My heart pulls me towards the door, but my mind takes over and propels me back to my bed.  If i go out there, I won’t make it back to my room without  a few bruises.  A few more bruises that is.

Just Give it One More Try

Author's Note:This piece is analyzing the theme of "Lullaby" By Nickelback. I really wanted to give the reader a sense of determination and how this song can help you and show you what determination and courage feel like. This song means a lot to me for many reasons so I feel like I could pour a lot of emotion and some of my determination into this piece which is why it makes it so special to me.

Well, I know the feeling
Of finding yourself stuck out on the ledge
And there ain't no healing
From cutting yourself with the jagged edge
I'm telling you that, it's never that bad
Take it from someone who's been where you're at
Laid out on the floor
And you're not sure you can take this anymore

So just give it one more try to a lullaby
And turn this up on the radio
If you can hear me now
I'm reaching out
To let you know that you're not alone
And if you can't tell, I'm scared as heck
'Cause I can't get you on the telephone
So just close your eyes
Oh, honey here comes a lullaby
Your very own lullaby

Please let me take you
Out of the darkness and into the light
'Cause I have faith in you
That you're gonna make it through another night
Stop thinking about the easy way out
There's no need to go and blow the candle out
Because you're not done
You're far too young
And the best is yet to come

So just give it one more try to a lullaby
And turn this up on the radio
If you can hear me now
I'm reaching out
To let you know that you're not alone
And if you can't tell, I'm scared as heck
'Cause I can't get you on the telephone
So just close your eyes
Oh, honey here comes a lullaby
Your very own lullaby

Well, everybody's hit the bottom
Everybody's been forgotten
When everybody's tired of being alone
Yeah, everybody's been abandoned
And left a little empty handed
So if you're out there barely hanging on...

Just give it one more try to a lullaby
And turn this up on the radio
If you can hear me now
I'm reaching out
To let you know that you're not alone
And if you can't tell, I'm scared as heck
'Cause I can't get you on the telephone
So just close your eyes
Oh, honey here comes a lullaby
Your very own lullaby
Oh, honey here comes a lullaby
Your very own lullaby

A teenage girl sits in her room; the lights are turned off.  A radio plays softly in the background.  Tears stream gently down her cheeks leaving a soft wet trail down her chin.  Life has thrown her one too many curve balls and she’s tired of striking out.  As she sits there thoughts race through her mind, I don't deserve to be here, I'm a failure, there's nothing I can do.  All of these feelings collide and she’s about to break.  That frayed thread she’s been hanging on to for so long gets
thinner and thinner.  It's about ready to snap, plunging her into a never ending darkness of despair and defeat.  Just as it appears she’s about to burst a tune on the radio fills the room, the girl is snapped out of her thoughts.   Filled with curiosity, she turns it up and closes her
eyes.   The lyrics glide through her mind as she catches every single word.  The song is Lullaby by Nickelback and the meaning is so powerful it can bring you to tears; this song shows that you must be determined and willing to accept life as it is and move on.

Meaning is something every song needs, but many lack.  This song isn’t just some pop song about having a good time and partying.  Lullaby demonstrates perseverance and determination. Harming yourself will not make your world better.  You need stand up, dust yourself off and jump right back into life with open arms.  It's true what these lyrics say, we've all been there in the bottom.  The people who persevere will start climbing to the top, even though it is a long perilous journey full of heartbreak and pain they will stick their hands and feet in the crevices and slowly pull themselves back up.  We need to all be like those people who get up again.  There are many songs about determination out there.   Lullaby isn’t the only song that portrays such song emotion and determination, Never Too Late by Three Days Grace tells you that “It’s not too late, it’s never too late”. Three Days Grace portrays determination in a much more fierce way.  Whereas Nickelback words it a little differently with almost softer sounding words.  For example, “I'm reaching out to let you know that you're not alone” is telling you that it’s never too late in a much softer context.  It wraps you up, like a warm hug and gives you the determination to “get back in the ring”.

Getting up is the first step, next you need to know where to go from there.  The truth is we don't know where to go.  We do not live through life, we live life while following the winding path wherever it wants to take us.  Sometimes we can fall through the cracks though, and we need songs like this to show comfort, guidance, and courage.  Lullaby shows us that determination and courage are not easy, but through much effort and a strong heart you can make it through anything.   Many songs also demonstrate that you can do anything you set your mind too, but Lullaby does it in a special way.  It makes you dive in headfirst.  Some songs have underlying meanings and hidden themes, but this song's theme stands out like a sore thumb, in a good way. There are no hidden meanings in Lullaby; the theme is right in the lyrics.  "Just give it one more try to a lullaby’.  Just give it one more try, right there is what this song is trying to portray. One sentence, that one sentence tells you the whole meaning of this song.  They say more in one sentence than some artists can say in a whole song.  

I can connect with this song very easily, the meaning is extremely easy to relate to. There have been many times when my heart felt like a balloon that somebody struck with a needle.  I've been at the bottom, but through songs with lyrics like these I can stand up and start the climb to the top.  There has also been points in my life where i was just "barely hanging on" as it states in this song, but I gave it one more try.  Depression has threatened to take over, but I fought back.  Whenever I hear this song I close my eyes and really listen to the words, even though this wasn't written specifically for me, every time I hear it I feel like it was.  These lyrics hit home every single time, even if it’s the millionth time I’ve heard it I still feel tears in my eyes.   There is one specific lyric in this song that makes me really stop and think about my life.  “Because you're not done You're far too young And the best is yet to come” Just reading those words makes my eyes swell with tears.  While I write this, I can feel the tears in my eyes.  That one lyric, just that one lyric can make me cry.  It’s giving me the confidence to want to wake up and see what tomorrow holds.  The determination blazes through my body and rejuvenates me, it gives me a sense of hope.  

Meaning, never giving up, and hope are the three key things intertwined with the theme of Lullaby, Determination and courage.  Being able to move on with your life is hard, but lullaby’s powerful, tear jerking theme shows you that you must be determined and courageous.  Life is rough, especially when you’re still trying to figure out exactly who you are and where you fit into the
puzzle.  When you just can’t take it anymore, turn this song up on the radio.