I imagine happiness like an ocean.
    A vast expanse of blue, glittering in the sun. Not the kind of ocean with choppy waves, or stormy water, but the ocean that's serene, and calm. The kind of ocean where the water is perfectly clear, and you can see the rocks at the bottom. The kind of ocean where the water is warmed by the sun.
    On most days, I'm just bobbing along, perfectly content. Letting...

1. I'm totally secure in who I am. I'm a nerd, and a theater geek, and I know it and I own it. I'm not about to change myself to fit some ideal that society has laid out for me.
2. I'm a leader. I take charge and try to figure out what everyone needs to do. I think sometimes this comes off as bossy, but I do get things done.
3. I have a wild imagination. This leads to...

I sit
curled up in a chair
writing a poem

I tap
my pen against my chin
as I think

Words tumble
from my brain
to my pen
and onto the page

I write without a care in the world
all my thoughts
hopes 
dreams
desires
fears
falling from me

Words landing on the page
there and vulnerable and real
a part of me longs to share it
to show my work to the world
to publish my favorite poem
...

    My house, that I've lived in for all 14 years of my life, is unfamiliar to me. Everything is packed up. All the funny little decorations that make this place home are gone, stuffed in a box somewhere. I've known we were moving for weeks, but it hasn't really felt real. Tears spring to my eyes.
    My mother walks into the kitchen, where I'm standing, dumbfounded. I see in her eyes that she's upset, but she's...