The Garden of Thoughts

Do the world a favor and stop giving up on your dreams.

In order to better understand this poem, the following is given as context: “ . . . An Asian-American college student was reported to have jumped to her death from her dormitory window. Her body was found two days later under a deep cover of snow. Her suicide note contained an apology to her parents for having received less than a perfect four point grade average. . .” (Kirszner and Mandell, 367). Below is my unguided understanding of the poem. How many notes written . . . ink smeared like birdprints in snow. not good enough      not pretty enough      not smart enough The speaker has handwritten countless academic notes in pen which have been smudged by their stressful stirrings or tears, leaving marks that are akin to bird prints. But regardless of how many notes that are taken, all of it is not enough for something that must be important to speaker. Take note the repetition of the words “not” and “enough.” This will be a constant theme as the...

I am but one of a myriad of water droplets in a vast ocean. My existence is brief, ending when it becomes hot enough that I evaporate, or cold enough that I turn to ice. On top this, the world on which I am spending my frighteningly short existence is an inconceivably small piece of dust located somewhere in an unfathomably large universe. My thoughts, in the grand scheme of things, do not really matter. I have no influence over the truth, and no matter what I believe, the truth will not change. It may change on its own accord, but not on my own. The truth is stubborn like that. I once found the truth hanging in a tree, and it wouldn't come down no matter how much I reasoned with it. It can be quite troublesome sometimes, mostly becuase there is no one to tame it, not that anyone can. But the truth can also be comforting. There was a time where I had nothing but the truth to give me company, and it was more than happy to do that. For something as all-encompassing as the truth to sp...

In this world, and in literature, there are children who suffer from poverty, unattainable expectations, isolation, and innumerable other afflictions. The struggling child archetype is defined by a child that continuously faces conflicts, which are often external, that bring them close to absolute destruction. But out of their struggles, they are able to clench onto life and find a way to grow into something significant. Emily from Tillie Olsen’s “I Stand Here Ironing” and June from Amy Tan’s “Two Kinds” fall under the struggling child archetype in how they live out each of their respective childhoods in terms of their pain, how they act in situations of conflict, and relate to other children in both American and Chinese cultures. The defined characteristics of this archetype are evident throughout various stories and individuals. Those who fall under the struggling child archetype, whether in literature or real life, tend to look for ways to escape their difficult situations, seek ...

A person or character is often defined by their personality, thoughts, and actions. Luna Lovegood, a character from the Harry Potter series , goes to Hogwarts, a school for witches and wizards alike, as a peculiar yet exceptional student who would be defined as a unique and helpful friend. Luna, and her cool-headed, logical, and caring nature, would fall under the Sean Archetype. Luna Lovegood is calm and collected in situations many others would be angered by, or distraught in. As Harry and a couple of his friends, including Luna, were captured by a number of death eaters, Luna worked together with Dobby to free Harry and the others, all while doing so with a collected composure. Hermione, while being tortured, was of course crying out in pain as the others struggled to keep calm. At the same time, they were all under the threat of being killed at any moment. Many other individuals would have broken down in such a scenario, but Luna remained focused, having the resolve to help get ...

The sky is grey And no longer warm So we decide to walk Through the rainless storm The forest, once green and temperate Has become bare in form Yet it is our only way Through the rainless storm Soon the branches sway And the bark begins to swarm For we might not make it Through the rainless storm Our journey has been long And hard enough to leave us torn But somehow we will make it Through the rainless storm

The land is dry And our hopes are gone So we'll have to wait 'Til the lightless dawn So bring forth your valiant efforts And greatest song For beauty does not wait 'Til the lightless dawn Cast out your cries of agony And fall into the night, so long Struggling restlessly as you wait 'Til the lightless dawn Our eyes edge open And to the sky they look on But for a sun that will endlessly wait 'Til the lightless dawn

I stand for the truth, speak for my friends, and love for all others. I have fed sorrow, housed despair, and greeted hardship with a warm smile. My name is Sean Birkholz and I am a giver, a gamer, and a writer.