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1996. The Stalker. English 10 Essay
The essay was simple, write about one of your greatest fears. And while creepy-crawlies should have been my first choice. This is something I had more experience with. That feeling of being watched and followed. Not on a paparazzi level, or as dark as crime show... but still, the paranoia alone... having that strange feeling you are not alone... the shivers that caress your spine that leads to the thinking... the thoughts that begins to take over... it's just frightening.
1996. DAD? English 10 Essay
I think she meant well... my English 10 teacher... maybe. But I also think she thought she was more therapist than teacher. And apparently, she favored that red pen. I don't remember much of this teacher other than her comments written into the margins of nearly everything I submitted to her. (I am not sure why I have the word numbering in the margins. I am not even sure, but I think that I put it there post grading.)
1996. Wolf n' Moon. Bedroom Wall Mural in Pencil
During the turmoil of my teen years, and the self-mandatory seclusion I sentenced myself too, to save my sanity... I spent some of that time sketching on my bedroom wall. It was trailer wall board, cheap sheet rock with a crappy textured wallpaper adhered to it. The coloring and pattern, in addition to the layer of orange-cream tinge from my mother’s extreme smoking habit, provided decent cover for my sketching. The sketch itself took up the span of the entire wall, it was a wolf head howling in front of a large full moon. It was a masterpiece! However, there were no pictures taken of it and a couple of years later it was painted over in Grateful Dead dark purple, when my younger sister got pregnant and decided that since I wasn’t living in my room any more... that it was the best choice for a nursery. *The sketch above is a recent recreation for representation.
1998. Poindexter. High School Painting
I accredit my artistic development to my High School Art teacher Mr. R. Smith. (Long since retired from Lisbon Central School). When it comes to art, I wasn’t the best in the class, but I like to believe that he saw something within me, the potential and the willingness to do better and add more details... always! add more details! Poindexter was a challenge, we had to paint from our own personal photograph, he said I couldn’t pain a cat upside down –but I was a teenager– and I basically said, “Watch me.”
1997. Good-Bye My Dear. Very First Publication
This was my very first publication. A writing contest for entry into the 1996-1997 High School Poetry Anthology. (It was a collection from High School students from across the United States.). While I did not receive any award, the award itself was being published at the age of 16. In case you are curious, this was written about someone very special and close to me, at that time, someone I know would stand by myside again if I ever needed him so. He's just that good of a friend.
1998. My Knight. Editor's Choice Award
Even to this day, I feel like this is one of the simplest yet, best things I have ever written. Or, maybe it's because I wrote it about my Chemistry Class, which I hated, and eventually dropped to take more Business classes instead. It was an English 11 assignment. Truthfully, I don't remember the details but I believe we were suppose to use metaphors and analogies to create our poem. I loved it so much that I entered into a poetry contest with the "International Library of Poetry." I wasn't just *shocked* when i received the letter stating that i had received the Editor's Choice award... but for a brief moment there was validation in the writing I was capable of. When I have moments of doubt, this is my solid ground to rise up from -standing confident.
1999. Save The Best For Last. Senior Yearbook
I did a lot of work on our Senior Yearbook, as Assistant Editor. Including creating a poem dedicated to my class. I guess in some ways it was kind of like my graduation speech, as a non-valedictorian.