11 Even More Poems

Grandma
I remember when you used to bake me cookies,
and the cheerful red apron glowed against your curly white hair,
the cup of milk you always placed  before me cold with drops of condensation
and the arm you put around me when I told you all my fears,
or when I wanted somwhere safe to go,
to bury myself in your warm embrace,
the times we talked,
and the way you patiently taught me to read.
Even though al this seems so long ago,
I will never gorget a day I spent with you,
and I just want to say I love you.

10 More Poems

The Ancient Road 

The ancient road winds through the forest,
broken and over grown,
sunlight slants through the thick foliage above,
cutting though the dusky twilight,
turning night into day,
trees whisper in the wind,
shadows dance,
a bird's song drifts through the woods,
and a child stops to gaze up at the sky,
her hair gently wafts around her upturned face
as she stands alone in a world forgotten by time.

By Coat and Scarf 

When fiery jewels fall from the trees, 

I remember the day I met you,

It wasn't unlike this very autumn day,

the sky was the clearest blue,

and your breath rose in misty plumes,

you asked me if Ii was cold,

adn gave me your coat,

while I in exchange hadned you my green scarf, 

we were children then,

and now still the very best of friends. 

9 The Mermaid

       

The Mermaid

           Legend has it that long, long ago, there was once a vibrant mermaid who lived at the bottom of a great sea. She had three beautiful children that she loved dearly and valued above everything else in the world. She spent her days playing and teaching them the ways of the sea. Where to find the best seaweed, or the prettiest pearls used to trade for human goods. Life was carefree and good. But one day, when they were  still quite small, a great sea serpent appeared, and begun terrorizing the inhabitants of the sea.

            The mermaid took care to keep her children safe in their cozy sea cave. She warned them to keep a sharp look out at all times, and never play outside when the waters were dark. They dutifully obeyed, but one day, while she was out hunting catfish, the monster found the cave. The mermaid arrived home to find her children cornered inside the cave, the monster blocking all possible ways to escape.

            In a desperate attempt to save her beloved children, she grabbed a discarded whale bone from the sandy bottom of the cave and stabbed the monster. Shrieking, it turned to face her in a swirl of bubbles, it's black eyes angry and vengeful, full of hate for everything that moved beneath the water. Although greatly outsized, she fought it, stabbing and cutting at it's hard scales as she dodged it's razor sharp teeth, and crushing coils. Finally she managed to kill the monster. But covered in deep cuts and scratches, she sank to the ground mortally wounded. As she lay dieing, she vowed she would always watch over her own children and all the other unfortunate children in the world, no matter the race. When she died shortly afterwords, she was allowed to join the stars as a forever guardian. She is up there today, always watching over and caring for lost, helpless, and imperiled children, guiding them safely home, or to a better place in life.

8 A Walk on Autumn Day

A Walk on Autumn Day
 

Silence fills the woods, 
as I stand still,
gazing up at the arched ceiling above,
leaves of gold, red, and bronze,
glow softly as many colored jewels,
beautiful as the stained glass windows of a church. 

I smile softly as a bird calls, 
it's song a sad goodbye, 
farewell to the place it once called home,
farewell to the place of wonder and ancient memories,
only to return when a season or two has gone and faded, 
when warmth again returns to this old world of trees and growth,
a world that had been since centuries old. 

The wind picks up and softly blows, 
a gentle breeze rustling the high canopy above.
Small jewels of feathery lightness gently descend and fall,
dancing with an elegance never seen before. 

How I loved this season, 
so full of magic,
so full of wonders,
a season of sad departing,
yet more splendid than all seasons before,
a promise of beauty and plenty to come after the cold hands of frost are gone. 

7 Poems

The City in the Hourglass

  Somewhere there is a city in a hourglass,
  where sand pours like rain down the roofs to the ground,
  cascading through each person's life in a shower of time,
  golden and glowing,
  filing each day with precious sunlight,
  people wade through it,
  unknowing and uncaring,
  always blind to the light shed on their plight,
  struggling through each day,
  not living,
  but breathing,
  somewhere there is a city in a hourglass,
  where no one knows time is trickling by.

Leaves under my feet

My feet gently brush the earth below my feet,
yet the air is filled with a crispy crunch,
so delightful and sweet, 
for it is the sound of jewels under my feet. 
 

6 Echoes of the Sea - a story I wrote

Echoes of the Sea

by Akira Adrastea

           Rain poured from the sky. It soaked the ground and streamed across the bus stop roof to the ground, thrumming loudly. The boy looked up at the black mass of clouds. They swirled slowly, shifting like a live animal. In the distance, a call sounded, mournful and long. It vibrated through the air and resounded deep 
inside his soul. He could feel the creature's emotions like his own, but a glimpse of freedom was all he got, then it was gone, like a scrap of wind slipping through his fingers.

            Jake sighed. Sky Leviathans were creature of wonder and mystery. They had been his father's life study before he was born, and he dreamed of following in his footsteps, but university was expensive and only the richest of families could afford to give their children a good education.

            It looked like he would never be anything more than a clerk. Still, he reminded himself, trying to keep a sense of optimism, it hadn't been too bad for his father. Except, I want to be free, he thought, his eyes fixing on a patch of blue in the gray. Free to leave this tiny town in the middle of nowhere, to travel the world and explore the far reaches of civilization. Once his dream had been just to see a city, but now it was much much more. And even more unattainable he thought bitterly.

            A cool wind brushed his face and his anger vanished. He felt himself settle back into his usual resignation. Things were the way they should be for this son of a cleric. He just sometimes wished they weren't.

            His mother's voice sounded in his head. “Leave the foundation of this country alone. We are all who we are for a reason. You aren't the man who can change it with one swift stroke. But change does happen little by little. Become a good man and the world will become a little better.”

            Jake clenched his hands into a fist. He would become a good man even though sometimes he felt like it wouldn't be enough.

            A soft whining reached his ears. He glanced around quickly, trying to pinpoint the noise. A moment later, a high keening pierced the air and a small figure floated out of the trees.

            His heart instantly went out to the creature. Its cry had filled him with indescribable loneliness and despair.

            When it saw him, it froze and Jake knelt down, ignoring the cold water which instantly soaked into his pants.

            “Don't be afraid. I won't hurt you,” he called softly. He held out his hand. For a moment, the creature was still, then it keened again and glided toward him.

            Jake gasped as it came out of the rain and he finally got a good look at it. The baby leviathan stared back at him with mournful blue eyes the color of a washed out sea. It cried again and he reached out gently to touch its wrinkly body, which was surprisingly smooth and soft.

            The leviathan leaned into him and he hugged it, wrapping his arms around the small mammal. Somehow the little creature had been separated from its mother and was now all alone in the world.

            It made another noise, but this time it sounded more like its fellow creatures who had flown across the sky minutes ago, except mixed with the purr of a cat.

            When Jake finally pulled away, the leviathan continued to press its face against him, so Jake rested a hand on the creature's head. The small body vibrated. He smiled. Who would have thought he would ever meet a sky leviathan, much less a baby one?

            A loud screech broke the monotone of the rain and Jake jerked away in surprise as a bus skidded to a stop. The door thudded open to let him in. It was the last bus to Astoria that day. He hesitated for a moment, glancing back at the leviathan which had slipped back into the shadows and was watching him with sad, pleading eyes. He looked back at the bus. His clerical exam was at 7:00. If he missed it, he would have to wait another year.

            “Are you getting in or not? I have a time to keep,” the driver said, an annoyed expression flashing across his face.

            This snapped Jake out of his trance. He stepped back and the bus driver closed the door and rolled his eyes. Jake barely caught the muttered curse at teenage boys before the vehicle rumbled away, the mirrors on the sides rattling.

            He turned back to the leviathan who had returned to his side and buried it's nose in his hand.

            He smiled and stroked its head. Maybe his mother was right about changing the world a little bit at a time, but somehow he now knew it wasn't the right road for him. It never had been, really. He would change the world with his studies, just like his father had wanted to. This would be his life's work. It was what he was always meant to do. He had just needed a push in the right direction.

5 Stories From the Past

While looking for something on my computer I found a word document titled Joe. Fascinated, I opened the file. I discovered it was a book about my grandpa's brother Joe. Scrolling thorough it I found all sorts of interesting tid bits about my family. I decided to use some things from this book for my research paper. At first I thought about writing about the atomic bomb detonated in the desert near my grandpa's family, then I noticed the complex relationship my family had with the local Indians. I was interested to find that they were good friends despite the problems my family had suffered from them earlier. Despite this friendship though, their relationship of complex and they didn't always think the best of the other one. Because of this, I have decided to write my research paper on how the relationship between the ranchers in New Mexico and Indians were complex.

Update: I have decided on my research question:  What were the complexities of New Mexican Ranchers and local Indian relationships? Some of the key words I came  up with were ranchers, New Mexico, New Mexican Indians, rancher and Indian relationships.

So far I've come across a few interesting articles in the history data base. After I go through them, I plan on looking in the social sciences data base if I haven't found enough information.

4 Simplify

I loved President Uchtdorf's talk. I often do find myself over complicating things in my life. Not just in the gospel, but in writing as well. Recently however, I have been striving to make my writing more simple. There is such a thing as too much information. The talk spoke directly to my heart on the gospel level as well. Like everyone I think of all the rules and doctrines that come with being LDS. Sometimes I can't help feeling a little restricted. But in the end, if we center our life on Christ everything else will fall into place and nothing will seem too complicated anymore. Obeying the commandments will be come something that is natural if your goal is to follow Christ. You won't even have to think if something is a commandment or not, whatever it is will feel right if it is and wrong if it isn't.