Tuesday, February 17, 2009

What I Live For

my first english paper at oxbow. we had one day to write a page on the prompt "what do you live for?"


I live in a random list.

I live to jump back and for the here and there and to do everything under the sun. I live for my Moms Italian tan and our Sunday cuddles. My dads Jew nose and how he still blames it on the dog ever time he farts. I live for adrenaline. For my favorite bakery with the five dollar chocolate pudding that I eat in a minute. For reading in Dolores park and getting a sunburn every time. For working harder and harder just never giving up. For knowing some day I will get better. For never being normal. For short-term memory, dyslexia, and ADD. For smiling at every bad joke. For introducing every story I tell with omg omg omg! For making hot chocolate in my best friends kitchen. For climbing every tree on my street and jumping over every garbage can that gets in my way. For 15 cents sour strips at the corner store and happy donuts. For listening to music I hated so I would know what kids were talking about in 6th grade. For being a tomboy most of my life and still wishing I was one. For always having to play Aladdin in kindergarten Disney re-enactments. For my climbing gym being next to the taco truck with coke in a glass bottle. For inside jokes and movie marathons. For foreign films and action movies. For letting my friend brush my hair every day at lunch because it made her feel better. For that horrible gym uniform I spilled paint on, twice. For having ceramics first period and clay all over my cloths the rest of the day. For my bedroom and my fuzzy slippers. For still wearing my pokemon pajamas. For that commercial jingle that always gets stuck in my head. For watching the sunset on twin peaks. For never going on a real first date. For his smell and touch. For the guys who still don’t look at my face. For bond fires and muni. For the two starbucks a block from my house, and always walking to peets. For living in every neighborhood of the city. For bad imitationsof the robot and school dances. For raves and black light. For acupuncture and MRIs to be a part of the past. To look forward and know that it can only get better. For story time and tick fights. For hurting my ankle playing dance dance revolution. For making dessert more than dinner. For actually writing what I think and feel and want. And for every time they said I couldn’t.

I live for the here and now. I live to do my part, to make everything I can better. I live to love and make love. I live to give back everything I have taken. I live for the next generation to be better than my own. I live for everything and every one.

I live in a random list.

3 comments:

the Lion's mane said...

I've never met you and I'm not quite sure how I stumbled upon this... but I just wanted to let you know that your essay was brilliant. Life isn't going the way I want it to right now, but that reminds me of what I live for, and it was good to read it from someone else. So... Thank you for sharing, it made my day that much brighter.
-Alex

Angela Neff said...

Wow. Madeline you are already makin ga difference in peoples lives with your honesty and huge open heart.

xoxo Ima

Angela Claire said...

MADDY i love you.
- gina