All I remember that day is looking up to the red sun and walking endless hours to a road that lead to a hill you could not see past. After surviving nuclear bombings, mutated animals, and hungry cannibals I was up for the challenge. After I got up the hill I saw a perfectly normal city no pollution, no bloodthirsty animals, or no nuclear fallout nearby. When I got to the plaza I saw heavily armored men carrying, what seemed to be a lunatic saying the men where crazy and killing people for food, to a windowless house, which looked more like an asylum. After that, everyone in the city returned to his or her normal duties like it never happened. Puzzled, I went to the nearest saloon for a drink and for some advise. I asked for a glass of water and handed the waiter a couple of guitar picks. I asked the waiter if there was a vacant house I could buy or take up and he said that there was an abandoned cottage just out of town. The man told me to watch out for land mines just out of town. It looked like they were serious about keeping their citizens in and visitors out.

Once I got to the cottage I was sweating like a pig. They were serious about having mines everywhere you stood there was a mine. The cottage was intact but it could have used a lot of work. When I went to the bedroom I found my first hint. There were at least five skeletons and a man half dead, which looked awfully familiar. I walked over to him and asked him what happened. He didn’t answer my question but said not to trust anybody in the city. After those words he died but I questioned what he meant. I had to quickly get him out of the cottage or else he would stink it up. Outside I got a better look at whom he was. He was the man that the guards were taking to the windowless house. After that I knew what the man meant. I started to think paranoid thoughts like what if they where watching me right now.

The next day I was feeling better but I had my shotgun holstered if anything happened. I went to the deli to see if they had any good food I could trade. The man was very jaunty and let me try out the mystery meat loaf. Then I asked the question I rue to this day. What is in the meat loaf? The man told me to go inside to see. After I went in the man hit me with a bat and everything went black. Next thing I knew I was tied up with a bunch of saws and raw meat. Then I learned never to trust anybody even if you have known them all your life in this type of enviorment……..

Unlike Me,
This road before me
Has a family of roads connected at the end

Unlike Me
This road before me
Doesn’t feel affliction
Or love

Unlike Me,
This road before me
Isn’t living to feel affliction
Like Me

Unlike Me,
This road before me
Happens to withstand anything
Until God says otherwise

Unlike Me,
This road before me
Can gaze up at the sky
And dream

Unlike Me,
This road before me
Will never know what it’s like to be me

Unlike Me,
This road before me
Has fences on either side
So that it is protected from evil

Unlike Me,
This road before me
Can stand being alone
In times of trouble and
Gloom

Unlike Me,
This road before me
Will be able to hear the distant
But oh so joyful sounds of the piano,
While listening to that sweet and calming melody
Of the notes following each other in a line to create
A masterpiece

Unlike Me,
This road before me
Won’t ever have to feel the pain of fighting for nothing
Or yelling at someone who wishes you aren’t even in their life
At all

Unlike Me,
This road before me
Can read the signs of danger
When it is impending

Unlike Me,
This road before me
Is surrounded by grass
Which is ever so pure and innocent

Unlike Me,
This road before me
Is always meant to stay still
And guide people

Unlike Me,
This road before me
Is crooked for a reason:
It is to teach everyone
That life isn’t always easy
You need to deal with life
When it comes at you at lightning
Speed

Unlike Me,
This road before me
Will never experience the depths
Of hell

Unlike Me,
This road before me
Will see and touch the beauty of life

Unlike Me,
This road before me
Won’t ever give up
In times of desperation

Unlike Me,
This road before me
Will always stand tall
No matter how you look at it

Unlike Me,
This road before me
Has a story of its history
To tell

Now,
Just like me,
This road before me
Can see its destiny

Now,
Just like me,
This road before me
Can understand its place
In the world

“The art of living is more like wrestling than dancing.”
-Marcus Aurelius

“All that we are is the result of what we have thought. If a man speaks or acts with an evil thought, pain will follow him. If a man speaks or acts with a pure thought, happiness follows him, like a shadow that never leaves him.”
-Buddha

I came upon the state New York.
As I wander around, I am awed by the audacity of all the bright lights.
I pass through Central Park and admire all the trees, so vibrant with color, unlike me.
My cheeks turn a rosy red, and the wind whips across my face so fast like a lightning bolt.
I then wrote a poem about New York.
It goes:
The city is bustling with life; unlike me.
Everybody is happy; unlike me.
I see families walking past, so joyful to be with each other; unlike mine.
I can envision my mother having the time of her life without me,
loving people; unlike me.
Women take full, towering, bold, and confident strides; unlike me.
I see a CNN news broadcast about the war in the Middle East, and how brutal it is.
My feelings of affliction are diminished with the hope of surviving unlike those desperate soldiers.
And lastly, New York has a nice life; unlike me.

Chapter 2
I walked the old and lonely road.
But I came to another one.
This new one has yellow striped lines and white lines.
I think it is a highway road.
I stop, sit on the curb, and smoke a Marlboro.
I feel happy.
I feel on top of the world.
I feel dizzy.
I then throw up on the side of the open road.
My feelings for everyone have changed.
My mind is telling me to hate my mother and stepfather with all my might.
But I don’t know if I can.
Part of me hates them.
Part of me loves them.
I feel sorry for their livesI cry.
I scream at God.
I scream at God for letting me make this choice in my life to run away.
I pray to Satan to guide me.
He tells me to keep walking.
Maybe Satan is my new God.
I am an obedient Christian.
But I think I will convert to an atheist.
But how can I?
I now worship the devil.

Chapter 3
As soon as I finish walking down the highway, my cell phone rings.
I check the caller I.D.
It is my mother.
Should I let the phone keep ringing its monotonous ring?
I answer it.
She said, “Why in God’s name did you run away?”
She sounds angry.
I hate her even more now.
I respond and say, “Shut up. You didn’t even care for me when I was “home.”
“Well Christina, it’s hard being a single mom. Please come home?”
My mother rambles on with excuses.
I tell her no.
My life isn’t going to be wasted anymore.
I hung up in the middle of her monologue about how much she misses me.
If I went home, all she would do is tell me to go to bed and then continue ignoring me.
I keep walking with my head held high.
I suddenly have memories of my real dad when I was three.
He took me to Disney World one time.
It was for my birthday.
He used up and entire years worth salary on me that day.
That was when he was alive.
Then he died when we got back.
He died of a heart arrack.

Now I’m at a gas station. I have exactly $1,000 in cash.
I buy four Diet Cokes and Cool Ranch Doritos.
As I leave, I sneak a Twinkie into my backpack.
I then felt guilty.
What if they caught me?

The road to life can be uncertain
Or it can be a treasure
Whatever you dream or wish
Make it a pleasure

The road to life can be uncertain
It can have ups and downs
When you’re up
You should feel like you can
Fly so high
That you can reach the sky
When your down
You should try to turn you situation around
And within your heart peace can be found

The road to life can be uncertain
But when you have dreams
Life can be worth more than it seems

The road to life can be uncertain
I want to travel this beautiful road I see
My oh my let it be me!

The road to life can be uncertain
I see the green, green grass
And the desolate road
I believe it’s reminiscence of our past

Oh, let it be me
Let it be me
That travels this winding road
That leads us to who knows where
Out there…

But we are all strong
Strong enough to carry any load
As we travel down life’s road

Let us all join as one
Unity is the key
To unlock all uncertainty
About the road of life and where it leads

You will go your way,
And I will go my way
If we can all see eye to eye
And help one another
What a beautiful road we would travel

Who do you want to be?
What achievements will you make?
Hurry before it’s too late
So get ready to travel the road of life…

So let’s forget about the uncertainty
Move on with the good
Reach out to each other
Like brother to brother

The road to life can be uncertain
But if we stick together
And travel in the right direction
We will find protection….

No one is here but me. There are no more living people on this land but me. All that is on my mind is a quote from the bible “destruction cometh and they shall seek peace and there shall be none”.
I am all alone. My brothers, sisters, friends, neighbors have all died. All that God has left for me is a long deserted road with a black wooden fence and green grass. A pathway awaits me. This dirt road despises me. I am almost confused as to what direction to choose. Do I go north on the road or do I go south? There are spirits who are watching me and directing me north. Perhaps I should follow what they say.
North looks like its never ending. I am afraid to go in either direction. But, I will proceed north. For a moment, I thought I heard a voice. But, it was only the strong winds brushing up against the black picket fence. I begin to start running north. After running a mile the road seems endless. I stop for a break, and look behind me. The road behind me seems endless too.
I try not to look back because it reminds me of my past. When I look back I see my childhood. I can see my mother and father smiling at me. They are telling me to run faster and faster. But, I can’t run any faster. I’m out of breath. I can see a glimpse what seem to be the end of this long dirt road.
Suddenly, I feel stronger. My strength has come back. I can run fast again. After five minutes of running, I fall down and hit my head on a rock. I passed out. When I woke up, I was lying on the edge of a cliff. The road had ended. There was no where to go but down the cliff. The path of this road continued down a mountainside. I saw water at the bottom of the cliff. The water was crystal clear and a beautiful sea green color. It seemed to continue with the beauty of the road that I had just traveled. It had the same color and a clear path.
It looked like heaven to me. “Perhaps they are not stars, but rather openings in heaven where the love of our lost ones pours through and shines down upon us to let us know they are happy”. (An Eskimo proverb quote)

North looks like its never ending. I am afraid to go in either direction. But, I will proceed north. For a moment, I thought I heard a voice. But, it was only the strong winds brushing up against the black picket fence. I begin to start running north. After running a mile the road seems endless. I stop for a break, and look behind me. The road behind me seems endless too.
I try not to look back because it reminds me of my past. When I look back I see my childhood. I can see my mother and father smiling at me. They are telling me to run faster and faster. But, I can’t run any faster. I’m out of breath. I can see a glimpse what seem to be the end of this long dirt road.
Suddenly, I feel stronger. My strength has come back. I can run fast again. After five minutes of running, I fall down and hit my head on a rock. I passed out. When I woke up, I was lying on the edge of a cliff. The road had ended. There was no where to go but down the cliff. The path of this road continued down a mountainside. I saw water at the bottom of the cliff. The water was crystal clear and a beautiful sea green color. It seemed to continue with the beauty of the road that I had just traveled. It had the same color and a clear path.
It looked like heaven to me. “Perhaps they are not stars, but rather openings in heaven where the love of our lost ones pours through and shines down upon us to let us know they are happy”. (An Eskimo proverb quote)
by Marquis Stepteau

The road to life can be uncertain
it can have ups and downs
When your up
you should feel like you can
fly so high
that you can reach the sky
When your down
you should try to turn you situation around
and within your heart peace can be found

The road to life can be uncertain
But when you have dreams
life can be worth more than it seems

The road to life can be uncertain
I want to travel this beautiful road I see
my oh my let it be me!

The road to life can be uncertain
I see the green, green grass
and the desolate road
I believe it’s reminiscence of our past

Oh, let it be me
let it be me
that travels this winding road
that leads us to who knows where
out there…

But we are all strong
strong enough to carry any load
as we travel down life’s road

Let us all join as one
unity is the key
to unlock all uncertainty
about the road of life and where it leads

You will go your way,
And I will go my way
If we can all see eye to eye
and help one another
what a beautiful road we would travel

Who do you want to be?
What achievements will you make?
Hurry before it’s too late
so get ready to travel the road of life

So lets forget about the uncertainty
move on with the good
reach out to each other
like brother to brother

The road to life can be uncertain
but if we stick together
and travel in the right direction
we will find protection….