On a cold, snowy day in the middle of March, I was inspired. Jade, you gave me the inspiration that I so desperately lacked in too many ways. You gave it to me in the form of 8 words that I’m never going to forget. For this assignment, I took those 8 words and emulated on them, writing what I felt, not what I thought…. and yes the two are different.
Jade, I dedicate this piece to you as a thanks.
Blank pages speak louder than words ever could. My book was empty. Not because I didn’t want to write, but because I had no clue what to write. I love the idea of being able to write pages upon pages but I never knew what to write. Coming to class used to be a constant struggles as well. My biggest problem was that nothing motivated me, nothing. Nothing until the first time that I sat next to you. I remember feeling the pressure because I felt as if I had a mountain to live up to by sitting next to you. Every opportunity, every chance you got to share what you thought, you took. You didn’t, and still don’t, care about what other people think and that’s more than I can say for myself. You made me want to be a better person in class. Seeing you give such a lack of shit for what others thought about you made me want to be like you. I wanted you to be able to see me progress, not just as a writer but also a person. My Poetry is garbage and I only have two comments that I’ve given, but I’m on my way to hopefully something better. You should know that one day, I wish to be as great of a writer as you.
Blank pages speak louder than words ever could. You showed me that, and still continue to show me more every single day…. well the days that I come to class that is.
Adam
On blank pages; I can truly understand the struggle of writers block. Theres something oddly discouraging about a blank page, something that mocks you and errs you to an ire most unproductive. The only weapon against an adversary such as that is your own words, quite frankly. Just write, anything, everything you can think of, because a full page of ideas is better than a blank page. A place to start is better than an empty void, and some words on a page can make the difference between frustration and productivity.
Excellent piece Adam, I appreciate your work very much, and Im thankful that you have found a platform of expression through writing. In my humble opinion, I think writing is the only medium in which anything can be materialized without limits.
Regards, Liam
Dear Adam,
I am not making this comment with the purpose of doing what we are typically expected to do when we comment; I am not commenting with the intention of critiquing–with providing feedback. Because that’s not what this piece is about, and that’s not what this comment is about.
Instead, I want to take the opportunity to tell you how absolutely grateful I am to call you my friend. As you know, life’s been kinda getting me down lately. Because of this, I’ve been both cold and distant. And when I get like this, I feel like some people focus more so on the fact that I am not fully present during my interactions with them and less so about the fact that I’ve been clearly hurting.
Except for you, of course.
Even on the days when I was probably not the easiest person to deal with, you would make an effort to go out of your way to ask me what was wrong. Hell, there were some days where you were the ONLY person who seemed to notice I was even upset in the first place.
So thank you for caring. And thank you for writing this lovely piece–for showing me that I do matter after all, for showing me that I am capable of having an impact–a positive one at that– on the lives of other people. Thank you for reminding me of my worth.
And, again–thank you for being my friend.
I am glad that I was able to inspire you. More than glad, actually–ecstatic.
Love,
Jade
P.S. Never stop writing! More importantly, never doubt your writing, You’ve got some pretty great ideas, my dude. And your blog is so aesthetic.