Shake the Dust

This is for the soldiers fighting and dying...so that we can live.
This is for the grandparents who spoil us.
For the people who aren't yet old enough to understand, but feel they can conquer the world.

It's all for you.

This is for the breathers, those who not only breath in but breath out too.
This is for the living, those seizing the moment, every moment.
For the millions around the world making a difference.

This is for you.

This is for the music majors, who bring life through harmony.
This is for the poets, who explore deeper meaning.
For the writers, who write because they love it.

It's yours.

This is for the mothers, who love unfailingly and care deeply.
This is for the teachers, who help us mold our future.
For the friends who come and go, but nonetheless leave a mark.

This is for us.

Gandhi

I keep forgetting to open my eyes and really see.

I keep forgetting i'm going to be dead one day, so why not live in the moment?

I keep forgetting I don't always have to walk in a straight line.

But what I do keep remembering is to breath...deep...in and out, everyday.

I'm walking in zig zagged patterns and stumbling over my own feet.

It's like i'm free to do what I want, but I haven't decided what that free feeling feels like.

So I don't know if i'm really free.

People keep asking me when will we own ourselves completely?

I keep forgetting I haven't figured out what that truly means.

Owning our own selves, it's living.

It's dying.

Or living a legacy to tell.

It's wondering and knowing and exploring.

It's not knowing the answers to everything.

I've learned that I still have A LOT to learn.

It's lighting up the sky with paper lanterns.

It's making mistakes and learning from them.

It's making up stories because the truth isn't that exciting.

It's knowing that tonight is not the last time we'll see the light.

My Journey

ordinary world: school, home, and work. Not much to my journey....yet. Parents, friends, brothers, and sisters; all simple people in my journey. Though, they are the people that make my journey.

call: my job. they need me. they hired me. school. i need it.

refusal: how is my future going to play out if i struggle in school and my job? what's going to happen?

mentor: those simple people who make up my journey with me.

threshold: i decide to make my future. i decide to do well in school and my job. and hopefully this will strengthen my future.

tests, allies, enemies: the people that fail me. the failures i make along my way. the people i meet that break me down, not build me up.

approach: i start in the present and forget the past. i bring on the future and it leads my path.

ordeal: i graduate and start a new journey...called college. my new future starts.

reward: i attend the college i have always wanted to go to. i make myself and my parents proud. i have done what i always set out to do.

the road back: i made my future the future i've always wanted.

resurrection: i made it on my own and i'm ready for whatever comes.

return with elixir: thought it was hard to get the future i've wanted...i got it.

Film Analysis

Newsies:

OW: A poor newspaper boy wanting something bigger and better. Stuck in New York. Just him, his papers, and empty pockets.
Call: The Newsies are sick of barely getting paid for selling newspapers. They barely make enough money for themselves.
Refusal: How do the Newsies even begin to try and raise the price of a paper? They really don't have any plan. They think if they can't fix it, then who can? They feel inferior and small.
Mentor: Denton works for the newspaper back home. Taking pictures for the papers and capturing the news the world ought to hear. He hears these boys' story and wants to help.
Threshold: The Newsies decide to go on strike! So with Denton's help, they do.
Tests, allies, enemies: The Newsies need help and support to make this strike happen. And who better to go to for that help and support then other local Newsies?! They get the one and only Spot Collins to join the strike. Does he at first? No. But he pulls through for the Newsies. Mr. Pullitzer, the enemy, will not let this strike go on; though it continues. Some Newsies won't join the strike, and it's like they betrayed their own brothers.
Approach: The Newsies try everything they can think of that pertains to striking. Not selling papers, ripping them up, refusing anything to do with newspapers.
Ordeal: Jack, the main Newsie, can't take it anymore. This striking thing to him isn't working. So what happens to Jack? He becomes one of Pullitzer's puppets. All the other Newsies hate him for it. He went back on his word. He betrayed his brothers.
Reward: The Newsies win! The strike is over.
The Road Back: Jack is back, as a real Newsie, not one of Pullitzer's Newsies.
Resurrection: Jack realizes good things happen to good people.
Return with Elixir: Jack finally gets his dream, does he take it? No. because once a Newsie, always a Newsie!!

Ordinary World

Her Life's Journey:
She's just a girl, a girl waiting for her future like anyone else. She wants the past behind her and the future in front of her. She's going to school. She's getting good grades. She's applying to colleges and hoping she'll get into the one she wants. She's has tons of friends who support her in everything she does. She messes around cause she's living her life. But what if her life doesn't turn out the way she planned? She's now failing every single one of her classes. She doesn't know what college to go to so she stopped filling out applications. She got fired from her job and has been unemployed for quite some time now. Nothing is going according to plan. Her friends hate her. Her parents resent her. Her life is going down the drain. She's stuck in her own failure. She gets out. She lives her life. She rises to her potential. She's back on her feet and ready to face the world. She prepared to take anything thrown at her.

Give her a task, and she'll turn it into a challenge.

This is no grand expedition. This is no adventure. This is her life. This is her journey.

Questions:
1. What if she never got back up?
2. Why would she even want to try and succeed after failing?
3. How does rising to your potential and always trying again make you stronger?

Adaptation (Blurbs)

If I Ain't Got You
Most people search the world for things they don't have. They loose sight of what's really important. A life without love is no life at all. We look too much on the outside and don't see what's on the inside, that stuff is just as important. It's simple,...without you, there is no me.

Secrets
We hide things we don't want to be found. We're not perfect, everyone has secrets. We sometimes can't live with all of these secrets and lies and regrets, so, we confess them. We give them away. We lose ourselves in all of it. We keep things to ourselves, we're only human.

Someday We'll Know
We won't know everything at that moment we need to know them. Everything happens on its own time. We'll know when we're supposed to know. A twitter patted girl and a love smitten boy will know they are in love...for real...just not today.

My Story

My story begins on that day, that day everyone told me that everything was going to be okay.

They lied.

This world I called home was not a home at all.

It was a trap, I was trapped in my own world.

Nothing I did was right, nothing was making any sense.

I had been here before, I can't remember anymore how I got out.

Did I get out? Am I still trapped?

I'm losing my memories. What was I even doing here?

Why was I the only person apart of this story?

I keep trying to run through my mind for any lost thoughts.

None are found.

I can't find my way back, where is back?

Am I going forward? I keep running in circles trying to get back, where ever back was.

Still, I am alone. Still, I must be trapped in this strange story.

Is this even my story?...?...?...?

it's all for a reason.

So this world you live in, you call home...don't you? These people you look forward to seeing, are your friends...aren't they? What you think everyday, is for a reason...isn't it?

We spend so much time looking for answers to impossible questions.
We spend so much time looking for what has always been right in front of us.
It's because it comes naturally, simply, and slowly.

We can't undo what has already been done.

It's for a reason that everything happens to us at that exact moment, at that exact place and time of day.

We look to the future, to fix our present.
We can't help doing what we do,
and asking questions to things we want to know.

It's all for a reason.

ThE NiGhTliFe

the nightlife,

it's fun, it's dangerous,

It's worth waiting for all day.

It's the nightlife.

It's sitting at home reading a good book.

It's club hoppin' with friends.

It's the bright lights, and the big city.

It's the glamorous nightlife.

It's helping your

mom clean,

you feel like Cinderella.It's planking, because you don't know what else

to do.

It's going to the circus.

it's going out for ice cream.

It's meeting up with your

beau.

It's going to see your favorite

DJ.

It's party crashing.

It's letting go, letting your hair down.

It's playing and partying all night long,

because right now, it's the nightlife.

One Word.

Lyrics,
words to songs,
words in a poem,
words that are spoken,
words that put a whole life story together into one.
Lyrics,
they're recycled,
they're thrown away,
they're smeared in the dirt,
they sometimes never get a second chance.
Lyrics,
It's just one simple word.
Lyrics,
they mend emotions,
they show us into the darkest of places.
they're strong, and they're weak.
they give us something to think about,
they give us purpose in life,
they're something to look forward to, and to go back to.
they are worth remembering.
Lyrics,
they can be anybody's.
they can be fake, but then they won't mean anything.
lyrics are written and spoken and shown for a solid reason.
they can start anywhere and everywhere.
they can be never ending.
lyrics are worth your time.
Your lyrics are yours, so do what you want with them,
you never know what they could do for someone else.

Rock It Out

You have just been given the direct order to rock out!
Rock out like you've just been given a new car with that new car smell that new cars always have,

and in the back of that new car with that new car smell,
it had that wicked awesome SuBwOoFeR you've always wanted.

Rock it out like your favorite JaM just came on, like the volume is StUcK... on MaXiMuM VoLuMe!

Rock it like this is your last night, LiVe To RoCk, and RoCk To LiVe!

Rock out like you've just originated the FlYeSt dance move that's being danced ALL over the world!

Rock it out like you're the only person who knows what "RoCkInG OuT" is.
RoCk OuT LoUd. RoCk OuT In PuBLic. GrAb YoUr GiRlS, GrAb YoUr BoYs To RoCk WiTh Ya!

Rock it out like MaMa just made your favorite meal. You smell it and you can already taste it, so you savor it cause mama just RoCkeD your favorite meal!

Rock it like you've just won a million dollars. Reporters are outside your house asking you,"You've just won a million dollars!" "What are you gonna do next?!"
you say,.....
"I'm gonna Rock It Out!"

Live to die, and die to live.

I live to die, and I die to live. There's always a purpose to life, I just have to find it, fulfill it, and live it. Dying may be a worst fear, but I know, everyone, and I mean everyone's going to die at one point or the other.

What's wrong with living in the moment? Why does it take so long to realize that we can't take our lives for granted.

I then realize, when we've been told that we have 2 months to live, to begin living.

Why not start living your life sooner?

What's there to lose? What's there to gain? What's there to sacrifice? What's worth living for?

I am the only one standing in the way of living my life.

I'm the only one to blame.

It's like in that song,"It's funny when your dead how people start listening."

Why not make myself heard now? Because it's hard, it takes time, and timing is everything.

I'm living to die, and I'm dying to live.

Broken Dreams

I walk alone. I walk alone. I look at people, they see me, but they don't really see me.

broken glass, cracked cement, split wood under my broken feet.

Lights are turned on as other lights burn out.

I walk alone. I walk alone. I'm walking, I'm running, I'm walking my life away.

I talk and no one's listening. I smile and no one sees. I'm frozen in time.

I'm frozen in my own life.

The place is empty, no one's around

Why am I alone?

My shoes are tied tight, so I'll be okay on my journey as I walk alone.

I laugh and no one's laughing with me cause I'm alone

I'm in pain and the invisible people become visible and join in.

People hear my pain, feel my sorrow, but never show joy.

They are alone.

My broken dreams are never mended.

I'm walking, alone.

Thinking about you

Our thoughts to our actions,

and our actions to our dreams.

It's always easy for me to think about you.

I'm thinking about you like little toddlers

think about Christmas eve, leading

up to Christmas day.

I toddle and I stumble thinking about you.

I'm now head over heels,

my heels are in the air, I'm doing front flips and back flips

around you, I'll do anything to get you to notice me. but for now I'm just thinking about you.

I'm thinking about you like crazed teens think about JB. I'm thinking about the time when you sang to me on your guitar, you just started taking guitar lessons. you remembered how much i love the guitar, and

you took lessons for me.

you played my favorite song. I couldn't get it out of my head. I couldn't stop thinking about that song on your guitar that you played for me.

I'm thinking about you like everything in the

world makes sense now.

I just can't help myself from thinking about you.

I talk about how great you are and how great you make me feel. you make me smile

but for now, I'll just keep thinking about you.

Love is...

Love is oxygen

Love is hypnotizing

Love is music

Love lifts us up into the air

Love is a duet

Love is worth the wait

Love is a good road trip

Love is the cherry on top of a sundae

Love, is something worth fighting for,worth dying for,worth timing for.