La Virginité Perdue

L'air de la nuit ne me quitte pas

Un rappel de mon péché laid

Et qu’est-ce que ma mère me dira

Je dois me laver et sans aide

Et l’eau coule claire avant que je commence à me laver.

Le courant me frotte et je crie

Mon péché récure ma peau vive

L’eau et les larmes impures combinent

Comme ma vision se brouille

Et l’eau métamorphose en rose tandis que je me lave.

Le courant me touche et je pleure

La honte de ma faute m'accable

L'âme est morte, mais mon corps demeure

L’amour, j’ne suis plus capable

Et l’eau métamorphose en rouge tandis que je me lave.

L’eau ne peut jamais me laver

Le blanc de ma robe entachée

Maintenant, l'eau je dois quitter

Ne plus une vierge, erronée

Et l’eau métamorphose en noir après que je me lave.

"Best Years of Our Lives": 24 August 1986

As long as I live I will never forget 24 August 1986. It was the day my life changed forever.

It was the beginning of my Freshman year at Oberlin College. I had just moved into my dorm room at Burton Hall. I was at my floor's garbage closet when I had heard some guys talking.

"What is that?" I asked.

"The art rental?" One of the guys asked.

"Yeah, what is that?" I asked.

"It is where students camp out to rent art from Allen Memorial Art Museum." He said.

"Is that a big thing?" I asked.

"Oh yeah" he said and they walked off.

Me wanting to be a writer at either The Oberlin Review or The Grape so I grabbed my camera and note pad and headed off to Allen.

There were students everywhere. I started taking pictures. When my first roll of film was done I began looking for people to interview. There was a boy and girl at the end of the line that caught my eye.

"I can't believe you would rather have a Dali in your room then a Picasso." The girl said.

"I can't believe you can not handle that are taste is finally diverting." The boy said.

"I am sorry to bother you." I said tapping them on their shoulders.

"Yes" they said.

"I was wondering if you minded if I asked you a few questions for an article I am writing." I said.

"Sure" They said.

"Great" I said. "So how did you hear about this program?"

"Both of our parents went here so they told us." The boy said.

"Yeah they are always telling us about their time here and everything they did." The girl said.

"Cool" I said. "Do you have a space picked out in your room already for the art?"

"Of course" they both said.

"How will you be passing the time tonight?" I asked.

"We are going to use this time to meet some new people and chat." The boy said.

"We are very excited to be surrounded by people with similar interests." The girl said.

"Thanks so much." I said.

"Not a problem." The boy said. "Hey my name is Christopher."

"And my name is Olivia." Olivia said.

"My name is Danny." I said getting my stuff together.

"Where are you going?" Olivia asked.

"Yeah stay and hang out with us." Christopher said.

"I was hoping to interview some more people." I said.

"There are people all around us." Christopher said.

"It isn't like we are going any where till tomorrow morning." Olivia said.

"Okay" I said.

We began talking about art and the differences between Picasso and Dali and their merit. This converstation was over heard by a guy named Dave who brought up how important current artist were like Andy Warhol. This brought Cameron to the converstation about how important female artist were. This brought Emily in who said that art wasn't just found on canvases but all around us. As the night went on Jack, Elizabeth, Zachery, and Jennifer joined in. When morning came we all went in to pick our very different art. As we walked out I asked if I could get a picture of the nine of them with their art. I took the picture.

Christopher grabbed my camera and walked over to some guy and said, "Can you take our picture?"

I stood there watching this.

"You have to be in some of the pictures." Christopher said grabbing me.

"I suppose" I said joining them.

"Say cheese" the guy said.

"No say 'Best Years of Our Lives'" Christopher said.

"Best Years of Our Lives!" we all said.

"Yeah I took it on best." The guy said handing me the camera.

"Thanks" I said.

24 August 1986 I met my nine best friends and we began living the Best Years of Our Lives.

Sacred Heart Academy: Meeting The Shadows (Present Day)

"That is how it happened?" Erin asked.

"Yeah" Anna said.

Their is a time honored tradition for eigth grade girls in Loisville, Kentucky called Shadowing. This is when they get to spend the day at one of all girl high schools to see if they would like to go there. They 'shadow' a current student there to get the feel of what its like to go to school there.

Today is a big shadow day at Sacred Heart Academy. The shadows and their host are currently in the second floor foyer sitting in the big velvet chairs. They are telling stories and asking questions.

"I do not believe you." Erin said.

"Then go around thinking what ever you want about how Sacred Heart got its name." Anna said. "Every one is going to think you are crazy though because they all know the truth."

"St. Angela Merici said Assumption was stupid?" Erin asked.

"Yeah I thought you guys were suppossed to be un-bias and supportive of the other schools?" Claire asked

"Just the name." Anna said.

"Same thing" Erin said.

"Shove it" Anna said.

"You have to be nice to me." Erin said. "I might go some where else."

"Oh please your older sister goes here and all of our cousins go here, we got you." Anna said. "These days are really for non-legacies and big fish. For instance the big fish right now is Sandy, she has sisters at both."

"I am not a legacy." Katie said.

"I think many of us are not" Liz said.

"May be we could get a hands on how many of you do not have ties to the school at all." Anna said.

"So you can focus on them?" Erin asked.

"Were you not listening?" Anna asked.

"You are not getting off on the right foot." Katie said.

"Ok Anna thank you for telling us that amusing story to help us kill time." Megan said.

"Your welcome" Anna said.

"For those of you that do not have 'ties' to the school do you have any questions?" Megan asked.

"Can you fit in if you are not a legacy?" Rachel asked.

"I got this one Anna." Megan said. "Yes of course. Here at SHA we are anti-clicky and anti-judging. We are all friends here."

"Do we have time for another story, I really liked it." Sarah asked.

"A-A-A, I got this one Megan." Anna said. "Of course."

Dorm Daze: 8/16 (Morning)

Dear JoJo,

The first floor girls of Keller Hall woke up at 6 am due to a loud thug then an argument coming from Gina and Hannah's room.

"You can not kick me out of my own bed!" yelled Hannah.

"But if we push the beds together I would get a king bed." Gina said.

"But what about me?" Hannah asked.

"We could get you a nice blow up bed." Gina said.

"No!" Hannah yelled.

"What if their was some sort of rotation?" Gina asked.

"Where would we put it?" Hannah asked.

Gina must have looked around.

"Are the desk needed?" Gina asked.

"Yes desk are needed, this is college." Hannah said.

At this point all of us non-sorority/sport girls except Hannah and Gina were now seating in the hallway outside their room. Martha had brought bags of cereal and cups of juice or water.

"Any one want to bet on how many mornings this semester we are going to wake up to this?" Haley asked.

"I will take some of that action." Megan said.

"Yeah me too" Sarah said.

"Yes, getting off on the right foot." Haley said.

"I got ten bucks this last all the way to Hallo Ween." Megan said.

"Me too" Sarah said.

"Wait a minute, are not their desks in the Libarary, do we need desks here and there?" Gina asked.

"I am not going to walk all the way to the Libarary to write things and study." Hannah said.

"What if we got some sort of hard object that we can place on our laps while we work in bed, but can easily store when we are not" Gina asked.

"You know how ridiculous you sound with that crap!" Hannah yelled.

"They have been on the desk issue for all most five minutes. Ten says this goes all the way to Thanks Giving." Haley said.

"Your on" Megan and Sarah said.

All three shoke on it.

"All I know is that those two girls are perhaps the most vile girls I have ever met." Pear said.

"Pear this is so out of Character for you." Martha said.

"So deep" Zena said and they pounded fist.

"I got those inscence from my aunt Flo as a graduation gift." Pear said.

All of us in the hall way started laughing.

"What? They meant a lot to me." Pear said.

"No you actually have an aunt Flo?" Haley asked.

"Yeah" Pear said.

We were all rolling around laughing when the floor door opened. The laughter quickly stopped when four girls walked in. All four had rainbow flip floops, victoria secret undies, oxford shirts, sunglasses, and nothing else. Oh and a couple of them also had these beer hats on. It looked like they cut a circle out of card board box or maybe a frozen pizza card board insert and glued a beer bottle on top and put some ribbion on it and started wearing it. These were the sorority girls.

"What are all these girls doing here?" One asked, looking rather embarrassed.

"Yeah its like way early." another one said.

"I can explain this." Haley said. "First thing is first, my name is Haley."

She extended her hand to shake and meet them.

"Roma" the first one said and shoke her hand.

Roma had almost a complete buzz hair cut except for her long bangs in the front. Based on her hair she is one that speaks her mind.

"Audrey" said the way early one.

Audrey has stick straight blonde hair. You could tell she was a dits. Me and Audrey were going to be good friends I hope. She was Haley's roommate in room 101.

"Rosie" the third one said reluctantly.

Rosie was the only African American on the floor. She had the most beautiful chocolate color skin I had ever seen. She lived with Roma in room 107.

"Emily" said the last, most embarrassed of all the girls.

Emily had brown hair. You could tell this was the first time she had ever had any fun. When she realized we had caught her she saw the Pope's head on everyone of our bodies and now felt extremely guilty.

We then went around and said our names.

"Hey" the four sorority girls said.

"So what are you guys doing out here?" Roma asked again.

"Oh yes" Haley said. "You see Gina and Hannah, the girls that live in this room."

"Hannah is the American and Gina is the Asian." Martha said.

"Yes, they do not get along at all. They woke us up about an hour ago when Gina pushed Hannah out of bed. They have been fighting since. Well we all ready up and we could hear them so we started to listen in." Haley said.

"And Pear has an aunt Flo." Zena said.

"That sounds like fun. If I did not have a pounding headache I would so join in." Audrey said.

"Yeah I better lay down." Roma said.

All four went off to their rooms. By this point Hannah and Gina heard the commotion going on in the hall way and opened the door.

"Hey" Megan and Sarah said.

"Okay party is over." Haley said.

"Whats going on?" Gina asked.

"We were just meeting the sorority girls." Megan said.

"We missed the first walk of shame, damn it Gina!" Hannah said.

Just then the Althetes opened the door and walked in.

"Its okay theirs more, oh a costime party." Gina said.

"Its not the same, Brandi Chastian awesome." Hannah said pointing to the one in soccer shorts and a sports bra like shirt.

"Its weird they all went as sports stars." Gina said.

"No they are the Althetes." Haley said.

Yet again we all went around saying our names.

"Chels" Brandi Chastian said.

Chels had shoulder length sandy brown/dirty blonde hair. I guess it depends on how you look at it. She is on the soccer team. She is Emily's roommate in room 105.

"Natalie" said one.

Natalie had bleach blonde hair mixed with black hair, I could not tell if it was mishap from partying, like she fell alsleep with her shoes on, or if she wanted that. She was on the swim team.

"Annie" The last one said.

Annie had short reddish-brown hair. She lived with Natalie. Annie was on the track team.

"I better stretch, cool down, and shower." Chels said and went to her room.

"Yeah we better go too. I would hate to waste that great run." Natalie said.

"Nice meeting all of you. Can't wait till we can all hang out." Annie said.

The two walked off to their room 106.

Steph was now on her cell phone talking to her parents. Obviously Gina and Hannah's fighting, the sorority coming back with beer hats on, and the althetes walking in wearing bras had been too much for poor steph.

"You guys have to come get me. Its terrible here." Steph said crying into the phone.

"Its going to be okay." Martha said putting her arm around Steph and they atarted walking to their room. Martha turned around back at us and said, "I am going to go calm her down but we all have to do something later."

"Dinner?" Haley asked.

We all shock our heads yes.

"Awesome, see you girls later." Haley said and went back to her room.

"Yeah we need to finish putting our pictures up." Megan said.

Just like that we all dispersed to our own rooms. We needed the time to settle in to our new living situations. We needed time to get ready for the big dinner. I needed to get ready for my roomie to arrive. That is what happened this morning at Keller Hall as I know it to happen.

Sincerely,

DD

Sacred Heart Academy: On Holy Ground (1876)

In 1858 a group of nuns from Germany from the Ursula sisters journeyed to Louisville, Kentucky to start a boarding for young ladies. In 1876 the nuns had purchased land and was going to build their school that was to open the following year. Before they bagan construction the nuns gathered in the middle of the grounds to bless the land. The head nun, Sister Angela Merici and an aide named Sister Margret stood in the middle of a semi- circle to perform this ritual.

"On this holy ground-" Sister Angela Merici said.

"If I may correct you sister?" Sister Margret said.

"What is it Sister Margret?" Sister Angela Merici asked.

"This ground is technically not Holy yet un till you splash the Holy Water on it." Sister Margret said.

"Thank you for that correction. On-" Sister Angela Merici said.

"Your Welcome" Sister Margret said.

"On this ground which I am about to make Holy I will build a school to do your work as as the founder of my order, Saint Ursula. Please watch over the building and the girls who attend St. Ursula Academy." Sister Angela Merici said.

"That is going to be the name of your school?" Sister Margret asked.

"I thought so. Is it not a good way to pay homage to her?" Sister Angela Merici asked.

"It is, but 'lets go SUA lets go' does not sound the best." Sister Margret said.

"You do not think so?" Sister Angela Merici asked.

"No" Sister Margret said.

"What about Angela Merici Academy?" Sister Angela Merici asked.

"AMA does have a better sound but do you want to go down in history as the nun who named a school after herself?" Sister Margret asked.

"No that would be no good at all." Sister Angela Merici said.

"What about Mercy Academy?" Sister Katrina asked.

"The sister of Mercy already use that name." Sister Margret said.

"What about Assumption?" Sister Grendel asked.

"No, that is no good." Sister Angela Merici said.

"I agree, Assumption Academy shortens to AA. No cheers with AA is going to rally a crowd." Sister Margret said.

"That could also be almost anything." Sister Katrina said.

"Yes like Apatow Apple" Sister Angela Merici said.

"Perhaps the name should reflect our core values of Reverence, Service, Community, and Leadership." Sister Rebekka said.

"So RSCL Academy?" Sister Angela Merici asked.

"Maybe SUA does not sound so bad." Sister Margret said.

"Wait, the Holy Spirit has sent me the name of the school, Sacred Heart. The symbol Ursula has chosen as our symbol." Sister Angela Merici said.

"Oy" Sister Rebekka said.

"Yes the Holy Spirit is very strong here." Sister Margret said.

"I know, this is the perfect name for the school." Sister Angela Merici said.

"And SHA rolls off the tongue so nicely." Sister Margret said.

"Really?" Sister Angela Merici asked.

"Oh yes" all the nuns said.

"On this ground which I am about to make Holy with the water you made Holy, I will build a school to do your work as well as the founder of my order, Saint Ursula. Please watch over the building and the girls who attend Sacred Heart Academy." Sister Angela Merici said.

Dorm Daze: 8/15

Dear JoJo,

Yes after nearly two months of you sitting in my closet and one car ride to college I have decided to get some use of you. So at the age of eighteen as I embark on a new chapter of my Life I am starting my first diary. Dear God I hope this is a good decision does not come back to bite me in the butt. I thought today was a good day to embark on this diary adventure because today was the day I moved into my freshman dorm. I now call Keller Hall home. I am a freshman at the Universiyu of Dasani. I have no idea what I am going to major in yet. I was a little hesitant of moving so far from home but based on what I have seen today it is going to be a very exciting year.

I live in room 102. The room right next door to the Hall Director. Lucky me.

Haley was the second to arrive after me.

"Dad you need to lift with your legs." Haley said.

Haley is a freshman as well. She is an in-state student. Her hometown is only two hours away from campus. She has dirty blonde hair and green eyes. She seems very out going.

"Hal I am doing the best I can. It would be a lot easier if you didn't insist on bringing such a big tv we would not be having this fight." her dad yelled.

"Dad how can I enjoy Grey's Anatomy on a twenty inch?" Haley said.

Haley lives in 101. It is the first one on the left. Haley was the lucky person to get the room directly across from the hall director.

Next to make her presence known was Gina. She was of Oriental decent, what kind I can not be sure right now because it is rude to ask when you first meet a person. I do know she is from Florida and that she has a boyfriend. She told me that five times in the three minutes we talked.

"Mom it does not look good there lets try it on the other wall." Gina said to her mom.

"You can not do that honey that is your roommates wall." her mom said.

"I have a roommate?" Gina yelled.

"Yes honey this is college everyone has a roommate." her mom said.

We were gonna have some problems with her I could tell.

Gina lived in room 110, the last room on the left. She had the privillage of living across the hall from the RA.

Then came the twins. They are not really twins but they look and act the same. From what I can tell they have been best friends since kindergarten. Right off the bat they were my favorites because they were quiet moving in because they had already planned out their room over the summer. Their names are Sarah and Megan. They moved into room 104.

Then came Hannah, Gina's roommate. Hannah had long dark hair and she wears glasses.

"What are you doing in my room?" Hannah asked.

"Your room, my room!" Gina said.

"Gina we have been over this its both of yours. You must be Hannah." Gina's mom said.

"Yeah, get out of my room." Hannah said.

"Honey we spent like five hours explaining this to you, you are sharing this room." Hannah's mom said.

"Where is the rest of it?" Hannah asked.

"This is it honey its a dorm room." Hannah's mom said.

Yes this was going to be a long year for all of us.

In the midst of all the yelling came Pear. I am 88 percent positive that is not her real name. She is beyond a hippie chick. She has wavy almost white hair. She wears only hemp clothes and only eats food that has died naturally. She meditates and listens to records and has a tank of slugs. She moved into 108.

She tried to interven between Hannah and Gina but one of them broke her inscents. Neither one will officially take credit for the incident but it had to be one of them.

Then came Steph. Steph has a brown bob. She has severe separation anxiety. She was crying and clamping on to her parents legs.

"Do not leave me here alone!" Steph yelled and cried. "I do not know anyone here and what happens if my allergies act up and what if no one here likes me and what if my classes are too hard for me."

"You will be fine honey." her dad said trying to escape from her.

"We live five minutes away, you will be fine." her mom said.

Thanks to her roommate Martha, Steph's parents were able to escape .

Martha has red hair and freckles almost every where. Martha will definitely be the mother on the floor. She brought cook books and cleaning supplies and a first aif kit. She reads 'Better Home and Gardens' and watches HGTv. When I first met her I met my mom at 18, it was pretty surreal.

Martha and Steph live in room 103.

The last girl to arrive was Zena. Yet again pretty sure not her real name. She lives with Pear in room 108. She is a gothic/vampire. She has black hair, lips, finger and toe nails. She too has taken advantage of the privilage every student has to bring a ten gallon tank into the dorm. She has some sort of black snake in there named 'pinky'. As long as she does not try to eat Pear's slugs I am sure they will be fine.

The rest of the seven girls moved in five days ago for Sorority rush or athletic training and I have not met them, based on how they have chosen to decerate their doors they should be a real hoot.

My roommate has yet to show up. Perhaps she will tomorrow. Thats everything that happened on move in day at Keller hall as I know it to have happened.

Sincerely,

DD

Dorm Daze: Moving In Day

I now crissen you --- JoJo!

Please to Meet You

Hello my name is Edward Hrabik but please call me Teddy. I write mostly short stories about a group of ten friends. The collection of stories take place currently over a fifteen year period but that has expanded three times since I started writing them so that could change. Currently the collection is called "The Best Years of Our Lives". Occassionally I do write other things that might pop up on here. If you like what you read on here and want to learn more about me as a person please look me up on Facebook.

Terra Derma

Everyone wanted his or her own piece of land
so I skinned them all
and stretched them across every inch of ground;
now, I have nowhere to stand.

Mackerel

Maybe there was something in the waves
as they cascaded over one another
in a desperate attempt to reach the shore and die.
That one moment of phanta-fragility
where we both realise we are watching ourselves,
our insignificant relationship break on the rocks,
spilling blood and tears on the tawny sand.
There might be a night coming up soon
where you bury your face in the pillow to muffle the crying,
and you’ll think I never woke up, but I always do,
listening and helpless, because if I do ask what’s wrong,
you’ll say it’s nothing and fake your snoring again.

I bought you flowers on our anniversary
but they were already dead, a sure sign, no doubt,
of the coming end; the late-night telephone messages
and the heartbreak stories to our uninterested friends.
That compatibility we both thought we had torn to shreds
like the clouds in the dispersing mackerel sky we first made love beneath.
That warm, sticky night when we held each other
and never could have dreamed of letting go.

Somewhere, you have your face buried in your pillow,
more intimate with polyester than with your boyfriend.
Meanwhile, I’m faltering on the threshold of sanity and in-

-escapable truths. It was me. I didn’t love you.
Always lost in thought, forgetting to hold your hand
when you reached for mine as I scrambled over rocks
and searched for the errant squawks of oystercatchers.
Your whispered voice cascading over the breeze
like waves dying on the sand and the shingle.

on the shoreline is a bird and it hops. it hops. it hops. it breathes down my neck and caws a call. i take his wing and he leads me over rocks and he shows me the imprint of the night of the mackerel sky and the dark spots in the sand where your tears fell. he lets me go and flies away to meet and greet another hopeless thoughtless romantic coming to inconceivable truths. i dream i melt and become a wave and i race against the other waves to reach the shore and die.

GREETINGS MY FELLOW POETIC PROGENY!

I've a poem to share
aimed at all of us here!



THE POETRY KIOSK

a service to the world
the poet does render
lovely configurations
can tantalize even in argument
where one's thorn is
beauty
to another such beauty
is but that same thorn
useless but for the festering
it inspires
of the pronounced wound
we poets love to share our
thorns as beauty
and feel stung our sensitive
selves
when readers find thorns
where we thought only beauty
was being exchanged
is a wild garden truly
where what's lovely and
what hurts get confused
and planted in others minds
as so many diverse interpretations
can be derived
and that even the poet and
or reader has to admit is the wonder
of all shared word form
aptly enough
as much as poetry (good or bad)
helps a human to feel more deeply
in touch with the deeper more
truer( though we universally label
that rather ironically even too)
the higher self
that is when the notion comes to form
that poetry in all its beauty and thorns
is many times but a poetry kiosk of sorts
for the confused though still needful seeker..............
(April 1, 2011 1206am)



This came to me while I was pondering on how many can read the same poem and take away from it so many diverse meanings. With the background of our environment, our upbringing and our general belief system and unique disposition each all our own in that particular regard it's easy to see why we vary in our views more so often than not. Though some themes are quite universal and at some level of the poem, song and or tale we can connect, still it's not always an exact science. Our diversity can be our strength and our weakness all in the same notion. I based my poem on that. We take away from a poem what we wish to take away from it more so sometimes (and for some people) than what we need to take away from it. It is to those souls that I directed this poem towards.