as shattered glass

if i were to break, if i were to break like glass, i would ensure the break would be clean. i would push out the shards remaining around the edges because in my breaking i would still demand cleanliness and order and perfection. to break jaggedly and incompletely — why, that’s simply a waste of time.

as a source of light

if i answered this one year ago, i would have said that i am the flame of a lighter. flickering, and unsure, and reliant on the strength of others. as i answer this now, i am like a ray of sun. beating down, quietly but surely, and reliant on the strength i know i possess — why, that’s simply how i have grown.

as a frame

if i were to be a frame, and if i were asked to display what i am most proud of inside my boundaries, i would, without hesitance, place a picture of my friends inside. not only to show their beauty and their wisdom and their thoughtfulness, but to reflect upon myself the utter joy i possess with these people in my life — why, that’s simply what i value.

as a flower

if i could see myself as a flower, i would wish myself to be a chrysanthemum. with bright, welcoming colours and open, inviting petals, i would live its meaning of lasting friendship, of cheerfulness, of enduring life, of loyalty. i would wither, at times, with the harsher rains (and the harsher words), but the light that is i and the light that is those i surround myself with would ensure my growth once more — why, that’s simply how i would bloom.

as a sound

if i were to live through one sound and one sound alone, i would be that of a heartbeat. i would rise with excitement and with passion and i would fall with disappointment and with pity. i would be inextricably connected to emotions, to empathy, to heartaches, to heartbursts, and others would rely on my presence as much as i would rely on theirs, as a source for all of these and more — why, that’s simply how i would live my life.


claire b.