Packet of Wildflower Seeds

Growing up, I generally wrote poetry to express my feelings; with no intended audience I had no concern for how "good" my work sounded. However, in high school - the time of learning new SAT vocabulary and literary analysis terms - I sometimes tried to throw in words just because I had recently learned them. Other times I used words simply because I liked the sensory experience they evoked. For example, many of my poems contain the word "obsidian" because I think it conveys a darker and more mysterious picture than other options. It is from these habits that "Twilight on Summer" was born. I wanted to write a poem about the change of seasons, but upon reading the work, it is also obvious that I wanted to use some fancy words. At the time I wrote it, I remember being very satisfied with my impressive vocabulary. Now that I am older, when I revisit the poem, I cringe. Too much of it doesn't make sense! Take a look: Summer drains along blackened eaves ...

This summer I had the opportunity to attend an Evanescence concert. I started listening to Evanescence in high school; I appreciated that they touched upon deeper subjects, but they did so in a haunting, beautiful way rather than a make-your-ears-bleed style like heavy metal. Not everyone may like their music, but it's hard to argue that Amy Lee doesn't have a great voice. One day I was listening to Pandora, and a song played from Evanescence's little-known demo album Origin . I really liked the song, so I tried to find it from other sources. This led me to YouTube and another song from Origin : "Field of Innocence." The song discusses the loss of childhood innocence and wonder. The powerful lyrics include the following: I want to go back to believing in everything and knowing nothing at all This touches upon so many maternal nerves right now. First of all, time is passing too quickly. My kids are getting bigger, and I feel like these moments are slipping th...