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Young Writers Society


spring waits for no one



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Reviews: 299
Sun Mar 15, 2020 4:37 am
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TheSilverFox says...



I've been doing this for a little while.

2019 - sometimes I hear the bell ringing

2018 - the man beneath the lamppost

2017 - How to Deal with the Buzzards Poking at Your Eyes

2016 - these are the words that are an offense to sanity
S'io credesse che mia risposta fosse
a persona che mai tornasse al mondo,
questa fiamma staria senza piu scosse.
Ma per ciò che giammai di questo fondo
non tornò vivo alcun, s'i' odo il vero,
senza tema d'infamia ti rispondo.

Inferno, Canto 27, l 61-66.
  





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299 Reviews


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Points: 24185
Reviews: 299
Sun Mar 15, 2020 4:44 am
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TheSilverFox says...



-1: Winter

I watched the fog
creep its way down the mountains,
drift between the trees,
settle over the asphalt,
sink into the night
that covered up everything
but the headlights of cars
roaring down the interstate
far below me

and part of me
kept looking out the window
because I was afraid
that the building,
and everyone in it,
would go tumbling down the hill
(then I checked my phone
and tried to forget
that my semester had ended
almost as soon as it'd started)
S'io credesse che mia risposta fosse
a persona che mai tornasse al mondo,
questa fiamma staria senza piu scosse.
Ma per ciò che giammai di questo fondo
non tornò vivo alcun, s'i' odo il vero,
senza tema d'infamia ti rispondo.

Inferno, Canto 27, l 61-66.
  





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299 Reviews


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Points: 24185
Reviews: 299
Sun Mar 15, 2020 7:37 pm
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TheSilverFox says...



i^2: The Ides of March

cw: emotional abuse

Spoiler! :
you taught me a lot of things
.
you taught me
that I couldn't walk right,
because I walked like a woman
(whatever that was supposed to mean);
that I couldn't run right,
since my legs flailed around;
that I could stop having a panic attack
if I ignored what was in my face;
that I could grow out of my asthma
if only I ran more;
that I couldn't bowl right
because my posture was never straight;
that I couldn't play pool right
because the stick always slipped between my fingers;
that I couldn't swim right,
because I never got the rhythm right.

you taught me
that I was too loud,
that I was too emotional,
that I needed to bury my feelings
deep inside me,
that I needed to never complain,
never say anything against you,
that crying was for children,
that growing my nails out was girly,
that I needed to be the perfect student,
that I needed to be the perfect writer,
that I needed to be the perfect swimmer,
that I needed to be the perfect pool player,
that I needed to be the perfect archer
that I needed to be the perfect runner
that I needed to be the perfect son
before you would pay attention to me at all
(because god forbid you had to encourage me,
god forbid you had to do anything other
than tell me I was doing something wrong,
whether I was or not.
god forbid you have to listen to me now
when I tell you that I don't need your advice,
that I would like to learn on my own
for a change, find myself
for a change).

you never taught me how to use a knife,
probably because you didn't trust me with it;
what could I cook that would be better
than anything you cook?

what could I do that would be better
than anything you do?
S'io credesse che mia risposta fosse
a persona che mai tornasse al mondo,
questa fiamma staria senza piu scosse.
Ma per ciò che giammai di questo fondo
non tornò vivo alcun, s'i' odo il vero,
senza tema d'infamia ti rispondo.

Inferno, Canto 27, l 61-66.
  





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Points: 24185
Reviews: 299
Thu Mar 19, 2020 7:26 pm
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TheSilverFox says...



1 - 2: the evacuation

every hour of the day I hear the ambulances
howling in the distance, racing up and down the street
outside of my window, darting through the intersections
in front of me, parked outside the dorms
while I adjust my backpack and walk past them
so I can go to class to learn about Huygen's principle
or something or another that I can't remember
by the time I get back home

and it's so empty in the library
when I finally make my way over there
that my brain likes to make up voices and figures
wandering between the concrete columns
and the beige carpet, flitting in between the shadows
as the sun sets dimly through thick windows,
and always watching what I'm doing
or yelling at me that I'm making too much noise

or yelling at me that it's only a day
before I head back north,
before I trade these library shelves and chairs,
buildings and streets and crowds and classes
for a few square feet, a bed, and a couch
to hide behind.
S'io credesse che mia risposta fosse
a persona che mai tornasse al mondo,
questa fiamma staria senza piu scosse.
Ma per ciò che giammai di questo fondo
non tornò vivo alcun, s'i' odo il vero,
senza tema d'infamia ti rispondo.

Inferno, Canto 27, l 61-66.
  





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Points: 24185
Reviews: 299
Thu Mar 19, 2020 7:33 pm
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TheSilverFox says...



-(-(-1)): marching in

see the lightning
like a camera flash
through the blinds

catching you
sitting with your laptop,
you thinking
the storm won't come here
right before the rain
begins to pound
against the____window,
the_____hail
begins_______to_______pound
against_______the_______window

the__________storm_____________comes
so_________________________________quickly
and_______the_______storm________leaves
just______as________fast

leaving behind
a layer
of what you almost wished
was snow
on the ground
(because winter
would be warmer
than this,
but it wouldn't
be alive)
S'io credesse che mia risposta fosse
a persona che mai tornasse al mondo,
questa fiamma staria senza piu scosse.
Ma per ciò che giammai di questo fondo
non tornò vivo alcun, s'i' odo il vero,
senza tema d'infamia ti rispondo.

Inferno, Canto 27, l 61-66.
  





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299 Reviews


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Points: 24185
Reviews: 299
Sun Mar 22, 2020 4:57 pm
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TheSilverFox says...



d/dx (-x): Quo vadis?

cw: religious imagery, death

Spoiler! :
i think i know the fire will destroy me,
but i can't stand at the edge of this city
forever, hands clutching books and pens
as the hot asphalt under my feet
destroys my shoes, and the stone walls
close in around me

what is the point letting the carpet
in this room tear up my knees;
what is the point waiting for messages
i'm too afraid to respond to;
what is the point writing stories
that all sound the same

when i know in the city you are waiting
for me to walk with you hand in hand
into the funeral pyre.
S'io credesse che mia risposta fosse
a persona che mai tornasse al mondo,
questa fiamma staria senza piu scosse.
Ma per ciò che giammai di questo fondo
non tornò vivo alcun, s'i' odo il vero,
senza tema d'infamia ti rispondo.

Inferno, Canto 27, l 61-66.
  





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Points: 24185
Reviews: 299
Fri Mar 27, 2020 5:48 am
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TheSilverFox says...



cos (pi): cult of personality

if only you knew how quickly
they will forget your name

they will tear your pictures
off the walls, let them
fall into the trash.

your legends will fade away,
left to die among huddles
of believers whispering them
by the fire in the back of the alley

your songs will disappear
from the tongues of all
but the old, their voices
wheezing out notes
not for your sake,
but for the sake
of the childhood
that you gave them,
that you took from them

your statues will crumble
to dust, blow away
in the wind
(assuming
they aren't torn down
by people paid just enough
to care that you exist
for the second your face
hurtles to the ground)

your walls will fall,
your wealth will fall
into the hands of the poor,
your barbed wire will rust,
they will read your story
between the lines,
they will bury your guns,
they will fly another flag

you will not save anyone else

life will forget you,
and then death will forget you
S'io credesse che mia risposta fosse
a persona che mai tornasse al mondo,
questa fiamma staria senza piu scosse.
Ma per ciò che giammai di questo fondo
non tornò vivo alcun, s'i' odo il vero,
senza tema d'infamia ti rispondo.

Inferno, Canto 27, l 61-66.
  





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299 Reviews


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Points: 24185
Reviews: 299
Wed Apr 01, 2020 8:59 pm
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TheSilverFox says...



10/10: registration (april 1st)

i keep refreshing the screen
and reading through my classes
(you registered on,
you registered on,
you registered on)
because i'm afraid
that they'll slip between my fingers
when i'm not looking.

because i'm telling myself
that i couldn't be lucky enough
to get what i wanted,
could i?
S'io credesse che mia risposta fosse
a persona che mai tornasse al mondo,
questa fiamma staria senza piu scosse.
Ma per ciò che giammai di questo fondo
non tornò vivo alcun, s'i' odo il vero,
senza tema d'infamia ti rispondo.

Inferno, Canto 27, l 61-66.
  





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299 Reviews


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Points: 24185
Reviews: 299
Thu Apr 02, 2020 11:04 pm
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TheSilverFox says...



2^1: cheeseburger bird (april 2nd)

two chickadees
perching on a branch
on a tree
while I sit
playing the piano
and watch
as they
fly away
S'io credesse che mia risposta fosse
a persona che mai tornasse al mondo,
questa fiamma staria senza piu scosse.
Ma per ciò che giammai di questo fondo
non tornò vivo alcun, s'i' odo il vero,
senza tema d'infamia ti rispondo.

Inferno, Canto 27, l 61-66.
  





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299 Reviews


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Points: 24185
Reviews: 299
Fri Apr 03, 2020 5:22 pm
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TheSilverFox says...



(r^2 - 6r + 9): neverending same-old story (april 3rd)

you wouldn't lock anyone out,
would you, would you make a friend cry;
you wouldn't do your homework,
would you, would you skip class today;
you wouldn't wash your hands,
would you, would you make your parents sick;
you wouldn't do that,
would you, would you be a monster;
you couldn't do that,
could you, could you be a failure;
you shouldn't do that,
should you, should you really let them know
this fear will last forever
S'io credesse che mia risposta fosse
a persona che mai tornasse al mondo,
questa fiamma staria senza piu scosse.
Ma per ciò che giammai di questo fondo
non tornò vivo alcun, s'i' odo il vero,
senza tema d'infamia ti rispondo.

Inferno, Canto 27, l 61-66.
  





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299 Reviews


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Points: 24185
Reviews: 299
Sun Apr 05, 2020 5:06 am
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TheSilverFox says...



((2 + 2 - 2 + 2)/2)* (2/(2/2)): and I must go (april 4th)

well, it was the end of the world
and i could finally live out my childhood dream
of running off into the mountains
to hide in the pines and nettles
(i was a very strange kid)

except the world wasn't ending,
and i didn't do anything more
than walk down the concrete sidewalk
and walk the dirt trails winding
up and down the creek, skirting
around the mountains, bridging
a construction site and the highway

and i did that until
i ran out of water,
i ran out of breath,
or i ran out of time
(and i didn't have enough
of any of those)
S'io credesse che mia risposta fosse
a persona che mai tornasse al mondo,
questa fiamma staria senza piu scosse.
Ma per ciò che giammai di questo fondo
non tornò vivo alcun, s'i' odo il vero,
senza tema d'infamia ti rispondo.

Inferno, Canto 27, l 61-66.
  





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299 Reviews


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Points: 24185
Reviews: 299
Sun Apr 05, 2020 4:34 pm
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TheSilverFox says...



((5 * 4) - (5* 3) + (5*2))/3: trauma (april 5th)

it's like
someone punches you in the face,
but you only feel it
a couple days later,
and it knocks you
onto the ground

it's like
you eat a destroying angel;
first you feel sick,
then you feel fine,
and that's when you know
you're going to die

it's like
having a heart attack,
but you barely even feel it
and you keep pressing your fingers
against your neck
waiting for the moment
you stop feeling a pulse

(remember how you always
grip the car door a little tighter
whenever someone turns
too sharply)

it's like
standing out in the snow,
your breathing fogging up
as you wonder if you should
dive into the blanket
under you feet
and wait for the night
so your tears freeze up
and you don't have to worry
about crying
S'io credesse che mia risposta fosse
a persona che mai tornasse al mondo,
questa fiamma staria senza piu scosse.
Ma per ciò che giammai di questo fondo
non tornò vivo alcun, s'i' odo il vero,
senza tema d'infamia ti rispondo.

Inferno, Canto 27, l 61-66.
  





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299 Reviews


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Points: 24185
Reviews: 299
Tue Apr 07, 2020 5:05 am
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TheSilverFox says...



the integral from negative infinity to infinity of 6 * d(t - c): burned out

an hour,
it was only an hour,
it was only sixty minutes,
three thousand six hundred seconds,
three million six hundred thousand milliseconds
between the deadline
and when I learned about it

you and I both damn well know
why I never say I'll never
make that mistake again;
the most I can do
is catch it a few seconds faster,
and accept it
S'io credesse che mia risposta fosse
a persona che mai tornasse al mondo,
questa fiamma staria senza piu scosse.
Ma per ciò che giammai di questo fondo
non tornò vivo alcun, s'i' odo il vero,
senza tema d'infamia ti rispondo.

Inferno, Canto 27, l 61-66.
  





User avatar
299 Reviews


Gender: None specified
Points: 24185
Reviews: 299
Wed Apr 08, 2020 1:29 am
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TheSilverFox says...



the inverse laplace transform of 7/s: long after midnight (april 7th)

took me way too long
to figure out both radio stations
were playing the same thing,
because I was a little too busy
checking the lock
on the bathroom door,
because I thought I heard someone
trying to open it
(even though nobody in this house
stays up as long as I do)

spent too long after midnight with fire
racing through my veins
while I stared up at the ceiling
and thought about how nice it'd be
to go to sleep early
and wake up early in the morning,
because I also couldn't stop thinking about
the person who told me about the time
they'd been afraid to go to sleep

grabbed a book,
wrapped myself in blankets,
and tried to wait for the sun
to tell me I'd failed,
because I couldn't imagine what I'd do
if it turned out I hadn't
S'io credesse che mia risposta fosse
a persona che mai tornasse al mondo,
questa fiamma staria senza piu scosse.
Ma per ciò che giammai di questo fondo
non tornò vivo alcun, s'i' odo il vero,
senza tema d'infamia ti rispondo.

Inferno, Canto 27, l 61-66.
  





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299 Reviews


Gender: None specified
Points: 24185
Reviews: 299
Thu Apr 09, 2020 4:51 am
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TheSilverFox says...



1 * 2^3: I took a year of organic chemistry to get to this lab and all I got was this lousy B (april 8th)

you told me
you thought I was obsessive,
that I couldn't stop studying,
that I'm fixated on time

that's a laugh
coming from the mouth
of a freshman in computer science
to a sophomore in chemistry
who's spent too far long
trying to break up acetic anhydride
when he was never given the mechanism,
or anything like it;
when he was given salicylic acid,
a couple days,
and some aspirin
to take while reading about
how to make aspirin
S'io credesse che mia risposta fosse
a persona che mai tornasse al mondo,
questa fiamma staria senza piu scosse.
Ma per ciò che giammai di questo fondo
non tornò vivo alcun, s'i' odo il vero,
senza tema d'infamia ti rispondo.

Inferno, Canto 27, l 61-66.
  








“All stories are true," Skarpi said. "But this one really happened, if that's what you mean.”
— Patrick Rothfuss, The Name of the Wind