if I had checked the weather that day

if I had brought an umbrella

if I had walked the same route as always

if I had decided against standing

under the convenience store's awning when it rained

if you had come out of the store just a moment later

if you didn't smile that way at me

and

if I didn't smile the same way back

if I'd said no to your offer

if I had decided to leave with your umbrella

instead of telling you there's room for two

if I hadn't laughed when I saw

your uncovered shoulder getting hit with rain

if we had realized earlier that the rain had stopped

if the awkward silence had not been filled with

jokes and laughter

if we hadn't walked the long route to my house

if you had not asked for my name

and

if my name hadn't sounded so sweet on your lips

maybe we wouldn't have gotten this far

Jamie used to pull girls’ hair in Sunday School. He’s in jail now. Twenty years, what a shame.

Pricilla used to get her hair pulled. She’s a lawyer advocating for women’s rights now. Almost six years in the business.

Ilsa used to work for Jamie. She testified against him six years ago. Pricilla’s first big case.

Luca used to be Jamie’s assistant. The company tumbled after Ilsa’s testimony. Moved to LA a while back, does cameos on sitcoms.

Anna used to work on Will and Grace. She started her own show three months later. Gave Luca his first gig.

Elle used to go to Harvard. She dropped out sophomore year to become a model. Married Luca after they met at a premiere.

Gerald used to work for Pricilla. His wife left him, the catalyst for his life falling apart. Worked as an Uber driver.

Rose used to be a director. She had an affair with Elle. Got in an Uber car crash.

Freya, Anna’s sister, used to be an alcoholic before landing a job at a hospital. She helped a former lawyer turned Uber driver recover from a crash. Threw the bouquet to Ilsa, they went to college together.

*I was listening to a podcast, and these two people that live in LA talked about how everyone in their social circle and career knows everyone, so that's my inspiration.

the butterfly

effect.

a flap of

wings,

a whisper.

a tsunami,

a war.

every subconcious

action,

every misinterpreted

words,

they all

collapse on

one another,

like a delicate pile

of matchsticks.

one's removed,

and the entire tower

tumbles off

the table.

you spend hours

setting up pile

of dominoes.

swirls and spirals,

all over the tile

floor.

but when the

slightest pressure

is applied to one,

they

all

fall

down.

Maybe it was the way its wings fluttered,

maybe it wasn't.

But everything affects everything,

and this butterfly,

tiny, frail and insignificant,

was just enough to tip the scale,

and cause a tornado,

a million times more powerful than it ever was,

with all its chaos and destruction.

A boy hoping for luck

Plants a tree on the edge of the shore

Growing slowly and silently every day

Until a leaf falls into the water

The ripples from this leaf are carried to the shore

Disrupting a grain of sand

The grain of sand silently flows though the water

Into an open clam shell

The clam starts changing this tiny grain of sand

Into a beautiful pearl

Years go by

While this clam makes the pearl bigger and brighter

Until at last

A young man finds it

Taking the pearl out with care

He has it fit into a ring

Then he takes it to his love,

He proposes to her

Next to a tree he planted when he was a young boy

And she said yes

There's a lighthouse in the state of Michigan to the north is Lake Huron and to the south is lake Michigan. It stands in a unique spot. You see when it rains, if a drop of water lands on the north side of the lighthouse. It'll roll-off, fall to the ground, flow into Lake Huron, and eventually end up in the north Atlantic ocean. However, if the rain falls on the south side of the lighthouse. It'll roll-off, fall to the ground, flow into Lake Michigan, and eventually end up in the Gulf of Mexico. Often only a slight breeze is all takes to determine a water droplet's destiny.

Her father stood in the cool light from the window,

Water running, his hands covered in suds.

She spoke loud and he peered over his shoulder,

It was nap-time but there was something

Sitting on the counter, calling her.

Eventually she raced out, holding two in her

Hands in delight.

Her heart pounded as she raced into her room.

Footsteps followed,

They were going to check on her.

She dove and crushed

The two perfect Oreos beneath the dollhouse.

The door creaked open and the blankets swallowed her

Whole.

When the door shut she snuck up

Her eyes dancing at the cookies squashed into the

Carpet. 

She peeled what she could off the

Floor, chewing softly before the cloudy day fell

And she slept.

he said his death would go unnoticed,

this boy couldn’t be more wrong,

old friend why’d you have to leave me to carry this with me everywhere i go?

you never understood at the time,

but if you’re looking down on me from up above,

i hope you see it now,

i hope you understand why all those people showed up to your funeral,

why i’ll probably spend the rest of my life grieving over your loss,

everything has changed for the worst after you said your goodbye,

you broke your promise,

and now we’re left with the pain

-the world’s too different without you