Mapping out my character

1. California
2. Summer
3. Early morning sunset on the beach-Beach House
4. Beach house, watching the sunrise
5. Sunny, warm
6. present
7. The character drives a black jeep
8. Showers multiple times a day
9. Very clean, well groomed and always well dressed
10. Romantic relationship with his fiance and also close relationships with his family
11. Nervous about his wedding, not being able to get over his past life
12. The thought of living the rest of his life with his fiance
13. His past relationships
14.He believes in change and believes in the ability to become a better person after making mistakes.

I will grow

Lucas is 24 years old. He is getting married today. I wake up and right away remember that today is not an ordinary day. Today I am getting married to the love of my life, Jess. I kind of freaked out just at the thought of it. After all these years. I get weirdly emotional and start to remember my elementary school days when my mom would make me breakfast, and pack my lunch and I would walk out to the bus stop that was conveniently right next to our house. I think about middle school. Middle school sucked. And High School. Not really that long ago but feels like forever since I walked into the doors of Beacon Hills High School. All this makes me miss being a kid, back home with my family. But it also just makes me more excited for what happens today will bring. I snap out of all my reminiscing when my brother steps into the room. 
"Luke! guess what today is?"
"I know dude It's kinda crazy."
"Ya It's a big day! You ready?"
"Ready to marry the girl of my dreams? Yes!"
"We should go out on the beach for a while before its time to get ready!"
Sitting on the beach, drinking my coffee, watching the sun rise was the perfect way to calm my nerves. I've always known that the beach, the salty air, the crashing waves has been my home and now I'm getting married here. The place where I feel most like myself. The day seemed like it was starting out so perfectly but I couldn't help feeling like something terrible was going to happen. I decided it was probably just the nerves and shook it off. I start thinking to myself trying to organize my thoughts. Okay so mom and dad are driving down here and should be here in about an hour. The rest of the family is already here. The food and set up are already being taken care of. Now I just have to worry about getting myself ready. I watch the beach in front of the house turn into a beautiful wedding area. It's really happening. I'm really getting married today. Just then I hear the phone ring. I get up and open the old creaky screen door just in time to reach the phone.
"Hello."
"Luke." I hear a panicked voice say from the other line.
"Dad, hi, whats wrong?"
"Your mother and I...we got in a car accident. We're at the hospital now but Luke, your mother is really hurt." My dad says slowly, trying to hold back tears.
"What happened? Oh my gosh where are you? Are you okay? I'm coming now where are you?" I say as I frantically grab my keys and run out to the car barefoot and still in my pajamas.
"Were at the hospital about 30 minutes from the beach house...just, just come as fast as you can!" I can't believe what is going on. I felt like something was going to go wrong but not anything this bad. As I drive past the little shops I grew up around, I can't help but think why did this happen? Why? I just can't wrap my head around the idea of my mom so badly hurt. I finally make it to the small local hospital and park, in no real parking spot and run into the hospital. I see my dad standing at the door to what must be moms room. I've never seen him so down, so distressed looking. I run up to him.
"What happened is she okay? Are you okay?" I say as I hug my father. I peer into the room and see my mother laying in a hospital bed, hooked up to countless chords, doctors swarming her frantically. How could she look so peaceful with all of this going on around her? When something so terrible has happened? It just wasn't fair, it shouldn't have happened to her. I turn to my dad, "What did the doctor say? Will she be alright? Is she okay?"
"They haven't said anything to me. I'm not even allowed to be in there." My father lets a tear drip from the corner of his eye. Just then the doctor steps out of the chaos inside my mothers room. I frantically start crushing him with questions but stop when I see the dismal look in his eyes. "Your wife is in critical condition sir." He says to my father slowly and unsurely. "We're doing everything we possibly can but she is not in a good state right now. sir. I'm so sorry." I become dizzy and slide down the side of the wall onto the cold hard ground. I put my face in my palms and cry. I cry for the first time in a long time. Just sit and cry until my dad makes me come to the waiting room. We wait. And wait. And wait. By now the rest of my family is in the waiting room as well. Nobody talks. All I hear are the gasps and whimpers of held back tears scratching the surface just waiting to be released. We wait to hear from the doctor. They have been working for so long it just kills me not knowing what is going on in that room. The doctor steps out of the hospital room and we all startle out of our long unmoved positions. I can see by the look in his eyes, by the way he slowly walks over, glancing at the ground, that my mother is gone. I can't do anything. I don't know what else to do but just break down and cry. I hear the words coming from the doctors mouth and actually hearing it makes it that much worse. Its a feeling I can't describe, something I've never felt before in my life. I don't know what to with myself. I just don't know what to do. So I ball up and cry. 

The next few months were all a blur. Jess and I called off the wedding for a while. It was just too hard with all that happened and changed so fast, but we all stayed at the beach house. It's where mom would have wanted us to be at a time like this. I knew that mom's passing would change a lot of things but I never imagined that it would change me the way that it has. It's like I'm a completely different person. I'm not necessarily happy with who I've become...but I don't know how else to cope. It feels like I'm having to completely start over my life. I was about to marry the woman of my dreams and now I've lost her too. I'm trying to hold onto the memories we made and hoping that one day I'll be able to change back into the person I know I am so that she'll be able learn to love me again. Until then, I can just learn to accept what happened. I'll learn to cope and try to accept that my life has changed, my life will never be the same. But I'll celebrate the love I had for my mother and I will grow from this, I constantly tell myself. I will grow from this.

Is Tom Shadyac a poet?

Dictionary.com defines a poet as a person who has the gift of poetic thought, imagination, and creation, together with eloquence of expression. This would mean that a poet is not only a person that composes poetry, but anyone who expresses their thoughts. After reading this definition, I would say that Tom Shadyac is definitely a poet. Tom made a difference in not only his life, but in the lives of others. He first did this by being a producer and sharing his talent, creativity, and imagination and later continued to make a difference by traveling the world and meeting and impacting the lives of other people.
 Tom’s actions towards other people remind me of DYT, do your thing. Although this didn’t always necessarily apply to writing in Tom’s life, I feel like he was the kind of guy who applied this to everything he did. As we saw in the movie, Tom Shadyac was a producer of many popular movies. He had a turning point in his life where he realized he wanted to do something bigger with his life. He had everything he could have asked for, but realized something was still missing. So he went on a journey to discover happiness and the true meaning of life. I think that it would take a lot in a person to give up the fame and fortune they have worked for to go do what they feel is right, that is why I think that Tom Shadyac is a perfect example of DYT. He didn’t let the fame stop him from doing what he really wanted.

Change

I was a dreamer
I remember feeling so alone and dreaming of what could be, what should be, what would be.
I heard the lies, the excuses.
I saw excitement, the joy, the fun that I wasn't part of.
I worried that this would continue. I worried that I would worry.
I thought I would continue on with this empty feeling constantly in the pit of my stomach. I thought it would never end.
But I want change.
I am still a dreamer, but a different kind.
I think that things go wrong, people change, situations change but in the end, it all works out for the better.
I need to keep going. I need to stand up more times than I fall, I need to learn to dance in the rain. I need to stay strong.
I try to make the best of every situation, to see the light at the end of the tunnel.
I feel sad and alone at times, but strong enough to know that this feeling is only temporary.
I forgive the ones who caused me pain.
Now I can change.
I will become a stronger and better version of myself because of the trials I have to face.
I choose to accept the fact that life is not easy.
I dream that life will be easy, but we all know that's a dream that can't come true.
I hope that I will find myself.
I predict that I will feel happier. That I will feel freer.
I know that learning to accept trials as they are and learning to stay strong will make me a better person. I won't lie around crying anymore, I will be better. I will happier. I will be stronger. I will have changed from a caterpillar into a butterfly. It will take time, but...
I will change.

I wait for summer

I'm waiting for the days when I can wake up at any hour of the day,

When the days are hot and the best way to cool off is to jump in the cool, refreshing water. 

I wait for that first day of summer after a long school year.

I'm waiting for the days when I can spend the entire day outside with the sun shining down on me.

I'm waiting for darker skin and lighter hair. 

I wait for those long summer nights spent with friends surrounded by a crackling fire,

No worries about whats to come, just living in the moment. 

I wait for the time when I wake up and smell that fresh summer air,

When we can leave our doors open all morning and all night to let in the cool, but just warm enough air, 

When we have fresh squeezed orange juice for breakfast,

when we can finally use our grill after it's been sitting there all winter waiting to be used like a dog waits for someone to come chase it around. 

Waiting for the days when we can choose to go on vacation last minute,  

Visit the beaches after a year of visiting the mountains.  

I wait for the late night visits to Daniels Park, looking out at the stars.

I wait to do the things that can't be done in the winter.

I wait for summer.

Narrative Poem

Mountains

Snow capped peaks, emerald green pines

The quiet snow falling, wind blowing, 

rustling the tree branches, blowing snow to the ground.

My body feels like 7 am, after a long nights sleep.

The lightly falling snow leaves a smell of crisp fresh air, like a new day, a new start.

 I sit alone in the silent peaceful mountain atmosphere.

In a cozy log cabin, I sip steaming hot cocoa looking out at the world in front of me.

Mountains

Racing down the mountain, feeling free and relaxed.

The crisp, clear sound of my skiis 

brushing the snow aside.

My body feels like 1 in the morning, after no sleep, so tired that I'm more awake than ever. 

The snow piling up around me, smelling fresh and crisp.

People all around me plowing down the mountain, feeling as free and happy as I do.

The mountains, my home, my happiness.  

Green

Bright green

Like a crisp, fresh, juicy granny smith apple.

Like summertime.

Light hair, dark skin, refreshing water, hot sun.

A green that wakes you up,

Opens your mind,

Refreshes your eyes.

The kind of green a teenage girl paints her bedroom walls. 

The kind of green that covers floral patterned beach towels.

The kind of green that reminds you of a sour lime. 

The kind of green you see that brings back memories of childhood summertime days spent outside,

 at the pool, in the water all day long, 

The kind of green that makes you feel like a kid again.