KALEO The photographs were boldly taken, of the scene, the ropes and her bruised neck.I wiped angrily at a tear as i dropped the phone, which i knew I would pick up again as i grieved the gruesome outcome. "It was a devastating suicide that rocked the whole community"The press release of the recently conducted investigations but hardly was i convinced my mother would kill herself. I knew she struggled, back when Elizabeth died, but she put so much work and her promises-her goddamn promise never to leave me. And each second i was on edge, finally persuaded to attend her funeral, to bade her one last heart wrenching goodbye."You should have some rest" Maria suddenly whispered, enveloping my palms with hers as she tilted the ring on my fingers."It will soon be over" She assured. "I'll be with you. We start tomorrow and your grandma said we'll rest at a motel or so bef

AALIYAH Some things, -are bound to happen. We call them accidents, because we never expected them. Unfortunate because we never wanted them.And devastating, because we dreaded them. They say this things come for a purpose, to make us stronger and we must learn to embrace a new challenge-to determine that our sorrows won't overcome our joy and our pains won't cover our gains. That these things either shape us or break us, it defines us if we let it-it just depends if we're ready, ready to take it by the horns and defeat it. Because they also said these things were never meant to conquer us.~ I could use a whole of speeches as I sat, my legs swung beneath the hospital bed, begging to fall to the ground and i cleared my throat.The doctor had seemed longer this time and i often sighted him dash

KALEO keep breathing. I couldn't imagine how many times i was told that,-when my anxiety takes over and my heart suddenly feels heavy or after the accident when i was bound to a wheelchair-when fear grips my heart and the agony of loosing a mother. keep breathing.Was that really enough? ~ A smear of the colorful lights had dashed across in respect to the speeding car, my head was against the closer window as my eyes wearily began to close, terribly exhausted from the past week.Funny enough, by the way Maria still handles the steering wheel, you could tell she still had strength to spare-that woman never really got tired. But my grandmother, she was already passed out on the chair, with only the seat belt clinging her so she doesn't fall. The car was silent, only the low music that came

WU FIFTEEN YEARS AGO Somehow the world felt so distant, and the snow became nothing but icy pain once i had stepped outside -in search of something that would remind me of the christmas spirit i once had.  I had just lost both my parents to a tragic accident that wrecked not only the vehicle, but my family. And instead of planning for Christmas this time, i wore on a black pinafored gown for the funeral of both my parents -forced to pretend like i could move on from such devastating phase of my life.  So there i was, my palms against the window shield, begging for every thing to just go back to the way it was months ago. If Christmas wishes came true, i wouldn't care how insane it would be to hope I'd get both my parents back while i opened the gifts thay had slipped under the tree but still pretende

AALIYAH TWO DECADES AGO My mother stood in front of the mirror, as I sat in her laps, her hand caressing the tips of my fluffy hair. She stretched through, drawing a line between the hair before she started to plait. The hijab had hung around the chair we sat, and it was often an irony.  "Why do you make my hair just to cover it up with the hijab?" I asked, in then, a high pitched second grader voice. "The importance of the hijab is more than just to cover your hair, it's a religion" She explained, probably thinking i could get it.  Before the door barged open- "Why does it take you girls so much time to dress?" Father yelled, as we stood, almost immediately, my mother staring at the time. "I'm not going late to mosque"