By Lakyn Miller

Ballerina Toes

I watched her from afar,

From the way she’d twirl on her toes,

To the love sprouting everytime her dimples showed.

She’s soft,

And young,

And so pure.

I find myself envying her.

From her kool-aid stained lips

To her tiny ballerina toes,

And when her bright blues eyes met mine,

I realized,

That one day,

Those kool-aid stained lips

Will be replaced with dark red lipstick.

Her dimples will fall,

As well as new tears.

So I hope,

I truly, sincerely, hope

She’ll remember what it felt like

To dance

On her tiny ballerina toes.

Free Falling

It felt like I was free falling.

I forgot about everything and everyone.

I felt as if I was walking in beauty,

and you were always right behind me.

To look into your eyes,

to feel every touch.

It felt as if I was walking along the stars.

Feeling everything and nothing

all at once.

It felt like I was free falling

Right into your arms.

It was a feeling of being lost in time,

But feeling warm as if there were a million suns.

But frozen

As if the world never spun.

It felt like I was free falling.

In a dream,

That could never stop.

But one day we all have to wake up.

By Jeremy Gammon

When you feel like quitting

When you feel like quitting - remember all of those who said you’d fail. When you feel like giving up - remember why you started. When you feel like quitting - remember what you’re doing it all for. When you feel like quitting - remember: PAIN IS TEMPORARY AS GREATNESS LASTS FOREVER. When you feel like quitting - remember that the pain you feel today will be replaced with the STRENGTH you need tomorrow. Remember that every ounce of pain you feel is building a STRONGER YOU. A stronger body. A stronger mind AND a stronger CHARACTER. SO PUSH THROUGH THE PAIN DON’T LET IT STOP YOU, FORCE IT TO GROW YOU. Don’t back down from the pain. FACE IT. Feel no pain. There is no pain. That painful last rep, that’s NOTHING. GIVE ME MORE! PUSH HARDER. Too tired, too busy, too early, too stressed NO EXCUSES too tired NO EXCUSES too hard NO EXCUSES too busy NO EXCUSES too early NO EXCUSES too stressed NO EXCUSES. When I feel like quitting I remember. There are TOO many people I need to prove wrong. When I feel like quitting, I remember. I HAVE TOO MUCH TO FIGHT FOR I WILL NOT QUIT. Sleeping in is for Grandmas, IM UP IM READY TO GO. Quitting, that’s for those who have NO HEART. I DO NOT QUIT. Your greatest HEALTH your greatest STRENGTH. It doesn’t come with AVERAGE EFFORT. If you want average results, keep showing up and giving average effort. If you want to be at your BEST. You will have to give your BEST EFFORT. Make an oath to yourself, that you will not walk out on any training session or any game, without giving 110% of your soul. Whatever you THINK is your limit, PUSH PAST IT. Whatever you think is your max, see if you can get 10% more out RESULTS DON’T LIE. It all comes down to one simple question: How bad do you want it? And when you feel like quitting GIVE ME 10 MORE. Nothing GREAT is going to come if you quit. I KNOW it’s hard I KNOW you are tired I KNOW it seems impossible, BUT YOU MUST KEEP GOING. Stick it out and AND GET YOUR REWARD. Never give up and never stop. Just keep pushing and you will make it.

By Isabella Bailey

Winter

As nights slowly get shorter,

Winter is beginning.

The weather turns cooler

And the air turns crisp.

Rain turns to snow,

And grass becomes white.

Animals start to hibernate

And slowly winter has begun.

Summer

The nights become long,

The sun will rise early

The air becomes warmer.

Grass is green just like the trees.

Bees will buzz

And animals will be awake.

Children will play

And people will be up late.

Summer has come.

By Breannah Kennedy

Bean

The dark blur

A sight of this horse will allure

Greatness radiates off of him

Although, encased in only bone and skin

We bought on a whim

His sunken personna was sure

He masked himself in doubt

Life was consumed with a pout

Yet, there grew a slight purr

Eyes: soft pillows

Hair as wispy as willows

Though, his heart burned,

he still turned

We stare at each other,

seeking one another

I only wish the best

Surely, there will be a quest

Black and White

The first night in December, snow fell from thick, heavy clouds; the ground had been covered by nearly five inches of fluffy snow. When I awoke from my deep slumber, my eyelids protested with sleep. With the help from the bright rays of sun stabbing through my curtains, I brushed off my sleepiness. I slowly sat up from my supine position, stretched my aching arms above my head, and swiftly swiped my duvet away from me. I flung my legs sloppily over the side of my bed and faced a wave of vertigo. My vision became blurry but cleared within ten seconds. The springs in my bed squeaked, as I twisted to look at my alarm clock: 10:00. From the slight noise, I heard a persistent scratching at my door. My lips formed a lopsided grin when I realized that I slept in and Daisy, my dog, was probably hungry. I hopped up and peeked out my window to see the white blanket covering the outside world, What a beautiful day! I headed towards my door and pulled it open to find...nothing.

Confusion formed in my foggy brain, but I quickly pushed it aside because I wasn’t going to let my head make lame, inexplicable excuses today. I turned left down my narrow hallway that led towards my kitchen where I spotted my caramel colored Daisy, fast asleep in her dog bed. Again, my brain hazed over with panic, and my brow was knitted together with confusion and mere apprehension. I shook my head vigorously and focused my restless mind on waking and feeding Daisy. She then stirred when the floorboards groaned under me as I walked towards her. When I reached my kitchen, the sun peeked in through the stained glass windows and imprinted a meticulous pattern of vibrant colors on my tiled floor.

As I poured myself a cup of black coffee, I focused on my wood cupboards as I thought back to my usual Saturday routine which consisted of me reading a book or two, but I wanted to go for a walk in the woods today.

I bounded off my oak porch as my burnt umber hair flopped behind me. It was still flurrying from the previous night, which was followed by a brisk breeze that smacked me right in the face. I shuddered from the bone-chilling cold but kept walking. I turned to make sure Daisy hadn’t followed me because she would get lost in the snow from having short little Corgi legs. After glancing back at my compacted house, my eyes wandered around this world covered in a sheet of snow. This peaceful world is where I thrive.

As my thoughts counteracted the quietness, the scratching at my door still clawed at my eardrums. I reduced my pace and began to nibble at my stubby fingernails. When I was transported back to this morning, the tree above me rustled from a gust of wind and dumped a heaping load of snow onto my head. My body sprung back to reality from the abrupt impact of the crisp snow. My eyes widened as I felt the heavy snowmelt drip down my back, like frigid fingers scraping against my toasty skin. I hopped and danced around from the intense cold. The more I danced, the more it fell down my back, so I yelled with immense frustration. I stomped off toward the house because, by that time, I had made it all the way down my driveway, past my black and white Nissan Truck, and into my woods. What a waste, I bubbled angrily as my footprints molded deeply into the snow.

I threw my coat off and onto the hardwood floor menacingly. Daisy sensed my anger and curled into a tight ball of fluff. As I observed her reserved actions, I pulled all my anger together and let it go as snow drifts through the wind. I love Daisy, and I hate seeing her afraid of me; she is all I have. At this thought, my eyes were pulled to the sunset swirled vase perching on the kitchen window seal. It’s long slender tube holding dead flowers. My eyes drooped and my arms went limp. The happy memories of being with Denis crushed my heart; he gave that vase to me for my last birthday.

“Happy Birthday, Callie!” Denis exclaimed holding my oddly wrapped present.

“Oh! That looks interesting,” I said with my right eyebrow shooting upwards.

I opened the present and the torn wrapping paper showed a beautiful vase. The colors blended masterfully and creatively. My face must have shown my surprise and shock.

“You don’t like it, do you?” Denis pouted.

“No! No! I absolutely love it! It is beautiful!” I exclaimed gratefully. I leaned over the gift and kissed his pouty lips.

“Oh. I made it, so I was hoping you would love it,” he said blandly and fumbled with his hands. He didn’t perk up from my excitement.

“What is wrong?” I questioned as I cocked my head so I could look into his dark chocolate eyes.

“Why didn’t you tell me? You cheat,” Denis said quietly, almost to where I couldn’t hear him.

“Wh-wh-,” I tried to spit out, but he knew. My blood-drained face of guilt showed everything. “I’m sorry.”

“I just don’t see why you cheated on me with my best friend,” he said as he stood up and grabbed his coat. He began to drag his jacket behind him as if it were lead and left with a silent click of the handle.

I slumped over and cried onto my new vase. I felt so alone. I wanted to tell him everything, but it is too late, he was gone. Daisy crawled over to me and laid her head on my feet.

I snapped out of my memory when the phone rang. I shuddered from the horrible memory and drug my heavy feet to the screaming phone.

“Hello,” I said with a waver in my voice.

“Hey! How are you?” my sister, Savanna, exclaimed into the phone.

“Oh, I am all right. You?” I sighed and dumped the dried, browned flowers out of the vase and into the dark trash bag.

“I’m great! What have you been up to? It has been so long since we have talked!” Savanna chimed.

“It has only been two weeks, and I have been keeping myself busy with journaling for Steamboat Piloting & Today,” I said as I rearranged the salt and pepper shakers time and time again.

“No, not there,” Savanna said loudly into the phone.

“What?” I said as I looked up from my fidgeting like I could somehow see her.

“Oh, that is what I have been trying to get to. Jared and I bought our own house!” She screamed happily.

“Wow! That is awesome!” I said through gritted teeth, trying to cover the pain in my voice. “I have to go actually, I was planning on going for a walk. Later.”

“Ok. Love Ya! Bye!” She bubbled with joy.

Ugh! Why is she happy? Why am I not? I thought. I am so selfish and ungrateful. That is why. I might as well keep my word and try to go for a walk.

I threw all my winter clothing on and started off once again. My eyelids were still heavy from depressing thoughts. My shoulders slumped like I was an Egyptian slave hauling limestone blocks for the Giza pyramid. My joy from earlier no longer inhabited me. I was about five yards away from my house before I noticed that my tracks were not facing towards my house from earlier today but away from it. I stopped as if I reached the edge of a cliff.

“What?” I muttered knitting my brow together.

My fear was rising way past its limits, like a thermometer on a sizzling day, but instead of walking back inside like a normal person, I followed them. As I trailed the tracks, they went way past the spot where I turned around earlier. They were getting more and more noticeable as if I were tracking down someone. I got an idea to take a closer look at them, and they were the same size as my feet and had the same tread marks. Then I heard a loud crunch of snow ahead of me and I jerked my head up. About twenty feet in front of me I saw a man dressed in all black walking briskly towards me. I glanced down at his feet and saw that he was wearing women’s boots, exactly like mine. It was an odd sight to see such a masculine figure wearing women’s shoes. Then I realized that he was closing the distance, and my mind thrust back to reality like fists. He began to increase his pace to a slow jog, and I jumped up from my crouched position and ran towards my house.

My heart was a drum, ramming in my chest and I could feel it rising in my throat. I glanced back to see the man running after me. I pumped my legs like the linkage arm propelling a train's wheels forward. I had a straight line to my front door, but fatigue began to overcome me. Then, I thought of the mysterious man behind me and had to keep going out of pure fear. I have to make it to the house. As soon as my speed increased, I was slammed to the ground and had the wind forced out of me by the extreme force. The deep snow was being squished into my face. It felt like my lungs were filling, heavy with snow.

Thankfully, I took three free classes in self-defense. I first pushed my back up and was able to unbalance the man, and he fell forward, then I grabbed his right arm and rolled him onto his back. My reflexes told me to elbow him in the face, and after that, I hopped up and began running back to the house. The man in black rolled over and leaped up from the ground. He started towards me, but I was able to reach my house before he was even able to run. I quickly closed the door and locked it behind me. An emotional concoction of anxiety and adrenaline shook me to where my legs were limp, deflated balloons and my ears rang with a pounding fear. I checked all of the other doors with my cell phone in hand. I was checking my kitchen door when there were a bang and a jiggle of a door handle. I froze. I finished my safety precautions and dialed 911.

The raspy-voiced dispatcher calmly said, “911. What’s the location and emergency?”

“There is a man trying to get into my house! He just chased me!” I screamed into the phone as I worriedly glanced around me. “Oh, and my name is Callie Marsh! My address is 1200 Sparta Plz Unit 6, Steamboat Springs, CO 80487!”

“Ok, Miss, is this man armed?” the dispatcher questioned.

“Not that I’m aware of, but he just tackled me,” I whispered into the phone. “Can you send someone over now?”

“Not at the current moment because we have another emergency to deal with, but we will as soon as possible,” ended the dispatcher.

I began to pace my bedroom while holding Daisy in my arms. Why would he go after me like that? What did I do wrong? Who was that person? As I silently paced and ran through all the questions in my head, I heard a loud crack! which caused me to jump from the abrupt sound and drop Daisy. Daisy fell with a yip and ran out of the room. I crouched down inconspicuously and followed the sound; it came from the guest bedroom. I slowly opened the door and saw the man climbing in a newly broken window.

I stopped breathing, blinking, and moving; I was a statue. What do I do now? I jumped up and ran at the man. I didn’t have a specific plan on what I was doing, but I grabbed his hooded head and slammed it into the bedpost as hard as I could. The man dropped to the ground like a bag of cement. Blood began to spurt from his split forehead like a fountain. I flipped up the man’s hood to find my ex-boyfriend, Denis. I stumbled back and clasped my hands over my mouth. I suddenly heard sirens, police sirens. I had to stay here, though, I couldn’t let him leave, so I dragged him to the front door. Geez, I never realized how dense he is. There was a knock on the door, and I flung it open. My eyes went off of Denis for a couple of seconds, and when I looked back... he was gone.

The police searched the house, but there was no sign of him anywhere. I sounded like a mad woman.

“Can you describe the man, Miss?” asked another stout, uniformed woman.

“Yes! I already did!” I shouted while threw my left arm up and pointed at a young, lean officer giving me incredulous glances. “He wore all black and he was my ex-boyfriend, Denis Kearney!” I shouted with frustration as I raked my fingers through my hair.

The woman froze, her pen hesitated above her notepad. She looked me in the eye for the first time and said, “Denis Kearney? He committed suicide this morning.”

My blood froze and my eyes glazed over with memories of him. “Excuse me?” I knew exactly what she meant but I needed to hear it again.

“Denis Kearney committed suicide this morning. He hung himself. That is why we couldn’t get to you sooner,” she said and stared at me with pity.

I glanced down at my hands as my eyes flooded with salty tears. I knew it was my fault; I caused this to happen. Now he is never going to let me go because I hurt him. Gravity pulled at my heavy tears until they splattered onto my jeans leaving dark blue dots.

The rest of the interview consisted of me nodding and shaking my head vacuously. I minimized my responses to as few words as possible. I couldn’t bear the weight so I asked them to leave not all that nice, but I needed to be alone.

When they all left, I floated to the floor like a piece of white, delicate paper. My face was streaked with hot, heavy tears. Daisy army-crawled towards me and licked my face lightly. Her puppy face showed sympathy, and it also mirrored my grief. I reached my arm out to her limply and petted her silky hair. I have her; she is all I have with me.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a dark shadow pass over the sunlit window; it is him, again.

My somber eyes caught his, and I whispered, “Why?”

“Anger got the best of me after my grief did. I probably sound utterly pathetic, but I loved you so much,” he said regretfully with a slight shake of his head.

“I’m sorry that I hurt you...we didn’t work and….you kept forcing us to,” I said between sobs. “I would have supported your decision, b-but not your recent ones like hurting yourself and me.”

“I know. I wish I would have gone to you, but this is where I am supposed to end up,” he said genuinely.

“I wish you did, too,” I sighed.

He strode towards me and rested his ice-cold hand on my warm, tear-streaked cheek, and I covered it with my own frigid hand, “We have to let each other go.”

I looked at him with sadness, “I hope you know how much I love you.”

“I love you, too,” he murmured into my forehead as he kissed me.

Then he disappeared right before me, but his kiss still lingered on my forehead. I stared into the empty space that he once filled. I straightened my severely arched back and wiped away any trace of tears. I have to live for him.

By Tiffany Newton

Christmas Poem

I walk through the streets gazing at the glimmering lights,

I can see Santa coming out of the night,

He’s swooping in fast to deliver our gifts,

Knocking lights from our rooftops and ornaments from our lawn.

It’s not Rudolph guiding his sleigh, it’s a newly born fawn.

From rooftop to rooftop he rattles along,

Delivering packages and singing a song.

While ringing his bells all through the night,

Dropping Billy off his kite.

Yelling “Merry Christmas to all and to all a goodnight!”

By Madison Williams

Winter Poem

Up on the housetop,

White tail paws,

Guess the hunters didn’t get them all!

Down through the chimney

They throw the stuff,

Better use the door; the fire will burn it up!

Ho Ho Ho, hoagies for all

Ho Ho Ho, hoagies for all

Oh, I can’t wait for the weekend to come

We eat too much but it’s lots of fun!

First comes the platters of meat and cheese

Provolone, Ham, and Smoked Turkey.

Next is the condiments and all the rest

Making a hoagie is quite a mess!

Then we got desserts there’s oh so much!

Pies, cakes, cookies, and even fudge,

Throw in same Hartley’s- plain or BBQ

See you this weekend anytime will do.

By Randi Shover

Alice tried to remember who had given her the key. All she knew was it had been given to her a few hours before prom began by a boy. Although the boy’s face was a blur to her, everything about him was so familiar. The deepness of his voice, the gentle touch of his body, the muscular feel to his body, and the softness of his clothes - all but his face was known. She craved to know who he was. With a soft sigh, she lowered her head, seeing the emerald stone that was planted in the middle of the key. It was her birthstone, so, she knew whoever had given it to her knew her birthday. A small smile came across her face until she realized there was a person in front of her. Looking up, she stared at whoever it was - the person who had given the key!

The boy chuckled as he reached his hand out to her. "Would you care to dance with me, babe," he asked as Alice accepted his hand, allowing him to take her to the middle of the room as slow music filled their ears.

It seemed like a matter of seconds before Alice and Liam, the boy who had given her the key, was walking towards his car. They exchanged a few kisses here and there, mixed with the sound of giggling. They both hopped inside his car when they got there, buckling their seat belt quicker than light. People watched when they began to leave the parking lot, some smiling over how happy they were. It didn't take long for them to get to a stop sign, where they exchanged another kiss after they stopped.

"I forgot to tell you, but thank you for giving me the key," Alice said as she looked at the key, rubbing her thumb across its design. Liam leaned over to kiss her cheek as Alice was looking up, but was interrupted when she suddenly screamed, only to see bright lights heading their way. There was a loud crashing sound as everything went black, the sound of sirens following shortly after.

Alice quickly sat up, sharply gasping before breathing in and out quickly, trying to calm herself down as her heart raced inside her chest. Laying back down, she groaned as she felt pain spread throughout her entire body. She looked down at her body, seeing all the cords that were attached to her. She then turned her head to the left, hearing a shifting sound, as she saw her mother slowly waking up in a chair. Her mother looked directly at her, rubbing the tiredness from her eyes before she looked at her daughter once again. Immediately, she got up from the chair and rushed to the bed, hugging her daughter.

"You're alive!" She exclaimed as she buried her face into her daughter's shoulder, pulling her as close as she possibly could, "You have no clue how happy I am that you made it alive from the accident," she cried as she pulled away from Alice, rubbing her eyes again. "Sadly... Liam didn't make it," her tone of voice changed as she spoke, silence immediately filling the room, the only sound being the machine next to the bed.

With a sadden sigh, Alice looked at the ceiling as her vision began to blur. She could feel her chest tighten as she pulled the blanket up to cover most of her face. "What happened?" She asked as she looked over at her mother, the devastation growing in her eyes.

"A drunk driver drove right into his car... He protected you the best he could, so you wouldn't suffer much. He died a few hours after being brought here," her mother stated, placing her hand on Alice's, seconds before Alice began to heavily sob. It broke her mother's heart knowing the love of her daughter's life was gone, and that she had to suffer.

Three weeks later, Alice was released from the hospital, able to walk on her own. Her and her mother was still devastated from what happened, but they tried to keep their heads up the best they could. After her mother picked her up from the hospital, her mother drove her to the nearest flower shop, buying a bouquet that was mixed with roses and tulips. Her mother then drove her to the cemetery, where Liam was buried. She parked a few feet away from his grave, and Alice immediately got out of the car, running to his grave with the bouquet in her hand. Despite the pain she was in, she fell to her knees, sobbing, as she hugged his headstone. Her mother was still in the car, watching her daughter.

Alice laid the bouquet against his headstone, pulling her body away from it. She rubbed her tear stained face against her arm, grabbing a hold of the key he had given her. She didn't want to get rid of it, regardless of the pain and memories it gives her. It was a memory she wanted to keep, a memory of the man she loved.

"I'm so sorry, Liam... Although I am thankful for what you have done, I wish I could have been taken with you," she whispered as if she was talking to him. "I miss you... It feels like the world is so lonely without you," she choked back her tears, feeling her throat become dry. She carefully got herself up to her feet, forcing a smile on her face. "One day, Liam, we'll be together again," she said before walking back to the car, getting inside and closing the door. As she buckled her seat belt, she watched as his headstone soon disappear as her mother drove away.