Jai Burgette

Since I could talk, music has been something to help me express myself when I felt like I couldn’t. My earliest memories include me in the back of a red Honda Civic singing Alicia Keys at the top of my lungs. I sang the words to her song No One with such pride, using my hands to mimic a fake microphone. I didn’t know the song was about loving someone so much that you’d never let anyone come in between the two of you. I’d never felt that feeling at that young age, but I felt the instruments, and that was enough to get me singing the song like a married woman

“I’m sorry but I think we’ve done everything we can, maybe you should try adoption,” the doctor said. Those words turned our world upside down. My wife fell in my lap and cried. I ran my hands through her curly black hair as tears ran down my face. I noticed the mixture of our tears staining my khaki pants but I didn't care. I knew my wife would be changed forever.

The first week after was treacherous. We spent most of our days in bed holding each other, only getting up to go to the bathroom. W

Most people spend about 12 years in school from the time they’re in kindergarten to their senior year of high school. Many say that the time period is full of the greatest times of your life. You have no worries. No rent, no bills, no job, just fun.

But what happens when you have to worry about your safety every time you step foot into school? What happens when you have to learn lockdown drills in case an intruder comes into your classroom? It creates an uneasy feeling that can manifest into an

I walk through the office, the sound of my heels hitting the ground following behind me. I feel confident in my chocolate brown suit with two pockets, one full of small notes and the other carrying a couple of BIC black pens. A gold-colored necklace dangles from my neck with matching earrings. I sit at my desk full of framed pictures and a couple of baby cacti. I smile and open my laptop to start my day.

The sound of a rhythmic guitar and country vocals were flowing through the air while the smell of pepper began to fill my nose. I looked around at the brown wooden walls and took a sip of my water. I took my straw and began to play with my ice out of boredom until the food arrived. Mashed potatoes, green beans, and a country-fried steak sat on the plate in front of me. I picked up my utensils and began to eat.

While she’s better for me and I love her, I still love you.

I still think of you constantly.

You treated me horribly, for the most part. I hated the way you touched me with such disgust, how you tried to hide.

So soft-spoken and timid, you wanted everyone to hear you but how could they? How could they listen when you didn’t even listen to yourself?

You held onto everyone else’s words with such force. Sometimes it seemed impossible to get you to let go. You listened to what everyone said abou