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The Lonely Walk Home

Jacklyn Partida

On a lonely walk home from the university, her fragile frame battling against the cold evening winds, Valerie came across a trail that lead into a dimly lit alleyway. Her uniquely inquisitive mind persuaded her feet to begin walking toward it, in the hopes of discovering a faster route to her house. She braved the thought of what creatures may have been hiding along the building walls, in the crevices, surrounding this alleyway for her desire to be temporarily shielded from the cold winds was quite strong.

Hunched over, clinging to her tightly wrapped around jacket, she quickly stepped onto the dirty gravel trail and was instantly relieved from the stinging of the wind. She breathed out a small sigh of relief as she took her first few steps forward, failing to notice the true eeriness of the enclosure until she got a whiff of some horrible stench. She stopped to examine what was ahead of her for a minute; Oh, it must be that dumpster she thought to herself, attempting to rid her mind of any fear she might have, for the light from the evening was beginning to fade into the night.

She walked only a few steps further until she noticed something sticking out from behind the dumpster that slightly resembled a misplaced garbage bag or a heavy pile of leaves. Skeptically, she stepped forward until she could see a small liquid trail that was apparently leaking from whatever was lying behind the dumpster. She crouched down and examined it, finding it to be the color of blood. Her curiosity getting the best of her, she immediately ran over to see what the object might be, noticing that the trail was growing much thicker as she neared it. It was, in fact, a giant pile of leaves; and to her surprise and dismay, she discovered severed body parts hidden beneath it.

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The Unfinished...

Jacklyn Partida

I journeyed along a trail of various greens

With leaves that gently traced my legs as I walked through them

Into a place my heart has never gone before

My feelings seeping out slowly.

I imagined you trailing off, with me in the distance

A lone wolf and a house cat

Two independents, though one needs more

And this one seems to fall behind again.

You are as distant as the way back home

Within sight, yet still out of reach

Sighing breathlessly as I stumble behind further

We may never make it home.

I see in you a vast amount of life

Like the creek that runs through the stones we balance on

Yet balance has not found us yet, or at least not to me

I’m the half-sunken log that has already fallen.

In a place of tranquility alongside that creek

I begin to ponder the nights of loneliness

Though I have you, I am alone

With an unsatiable need for you in my life.

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Afraid of What Will Appear

Jacklyn Partida

A lone traveler who instills fear

Among others will now dwell

Beyond terrified as it draws near

Tales of grief and misfortune I hear

Unsure of why one must tell

Slightly afraid of what will appear

Why it must follow is still so unclear

Do I even bother to yell?

Beyond terrified as it draws near

A place so dark and drear

Past the ring of the church bell

Slightly afraid of what will appear

Its appearance may be sheer

Yet my fear it won’t dispel

Beyond terrified as it draws near

I walk in shadows within a sphere

Of a light that leads to hell

I’m slightly afraid of what will appear

Beyond terrified as it draws near

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Rejection

By Jacklyn Partida

Rejection is a pain

That stays in your heart

When something you said

Forced them to depart

Rejection is a pain

That seems everlasting

And holds onto fear

Of feelings contrasting

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Breaking Point

By Jacklyn Partida

From the perspective of a failed politician:

Today, I lost my sanity

In the worst way imaginable

I was so confident that they wouldn’t make such a ridiculous choice

Yet here we are today

Nearly two years later and the past can’t be let go

By either one of us, apparently.

I sincerely thought I could rise above this

But the media has got me down

Just as it has brought down so many others.

Yet for some reason, it hasn’t shaken the tree hard enough

To make the big orange fall down from it.

Once it does, though, that big orange will be crushed

With insides exposed and splattered on the ground

Beneath the dirty soles of our shoes

That’s the way it should look already.

When that day comes, perhaps I’ll be back to clean up the mess

But until then I’ll remain on the ground

Not crushed, just fallen

Waiting for someone to pick me up…

I was thrown to the ground by huge gusts of wind

Coming from more than one direction

The first was from the unexpected;

The underdog who didn’t even make the finals.

He paved the way for the media and the big orange

To come at me from every other direction.

I was a lone tree amidst the hurricane

Eventually, I knew I’d fall.

Today the winds still shove me around

Making it impossible to hold my ground.

Today I lost my sanity.

Today I’ve reached my breaking point.

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Lies

Jacklyn Partida

Lies

On a sunny Monday morning in June, Jessica’s hello kitty alarm clock started beeping very loudly, pulling her out of one of her deepest sleeps. Half-asleep, she attempted to hit the snooze button which instead resulted in an even more alarming crash as the clock hit the hardwood floor next to her bed. She moaned dramatically as she removed the covers and stretched her arm out to retrieve the now broken alarm clock from the floor. She once had purchased this cute alarm clock with the idea that it would make waking up in the morning for her work at the diner even the slightest bit enjoyable. She still lived with her mom, rent free, and these were the kinds of useless things she spent her money on.

She finally walked down the stairs after taking an hour to get ready, having put extra effort into her appearance on this particular morning. Her mom was waiting with breakfast ready for the two of them to enjoy together before Jessica was to head to the diner for her shift. “You look extra pretty today Jessica, any reason? Is there a man?” her mom inquired. “Oh, you know, it’s just a nice day. I thought I’d put on a little more makeup for a change! No reason in particular.” she replied, breaking any eye contact she had with her mom. “Oh okay, if you say so. I still think you’re trying to impress somebody.” her mom raised her eyebrows and tried to look as if she didn’t care. Jessica’s mom, Lucy, was hoping her daughter would soon find a man who could support her so she could quit her job at the diner and start a family. Lucy, being a single mom, only wanted the best for her. Jessica, on the other hand, had a different agenda, so she quickly ate her breakfast, carefully dodging any other questions her mom might throw her way and headed out the door as fast as she could.

She parked her old beater cruiser in the diner parking lot, as she usually did, only this time she got out and started walking in the opposite direction. She was tired of the way she was being treated there and the extremely low pay she was receiving, so she decided that yesterday was her last shift as far as she was concerned. At this point, she had no idea what she was doing, so she walked over to the gas station just a few blocks down. Just as she opened the door to the gas station market, she saw the most handsome man she had ever seen in person. His hair was nicely styled and he had a strong jawline, bearing a slight resemblance to James Dean. He was quite the dream and he just so happened to be asking the gas station attendant for directions to the nearest motel right as Jessica opened the door and walked in. The timing couldn’t be better, for she looked her absolute best this morning. She floated inside and she and the man immediately locked eyes for a few seconds, both completely speechless in each others’ presence.

After what seemed like the longest, most unbearable moment in time, the gas station attendant cut in. “Hey, you two know each other or somethin’? I got a line full of customers waiting.” There actually was no line, he was just hoping to urge the pair to speak to one another because they looked like they were made for each other. The attractive man shortly after said “Oh sorry, we’ll get out of your way here, won’t we miss...?” “Jessica. My name’s Jessica. Well, I guess we will.” she coyly smiled and they headed out blissfully to his T-Bird that was parked across the way.

“So, what brings you out to a little nowhere town like Sierra Lila?” Jessica asked the man, “Ah, the town with two first names? Nothing actually, I’m just passing through trying to find a place to rest for the day before heading out to East Borrow tomorrow.” the man replied. “By the way, the name’s Dean.” What a coincidence… Jessica thought to herself. She then said “Nice to officially meet you, Dean. Well, I know a place a few miles down if you don’t mind driving a bit longer.” “Sure, that’s no problem for me if it’s in good company such as yourself” Dean smiled as he held the passenger seat door open for her.

A few miles turned into 100 miles, bringing them to another small town just outside of Dean’s final destination of East Borrow. They talked and drove until sunset, when they finally arrived at Sam’s motel in Solomnville. Dean checked in and invited Jessica to stay for the night, to which she gleefully accepted. He went out to buy a bottle of wine for them to share and in that time frame, Jessica pampered and prepared herself for a night of fun with an attractive man. She had never done anything so spontaneous and she was beyond excited, not worrying for once about what anyone else might think of her, including her mother. This would be her little secret and she would just say she spent the night alone after a long day at the diner. She smiled as she powdered her nose.

About half an hour later, Dean returned with the finest bottle of wine a gas station could hold and a couple of nice glasses he just so happened to have in his back seat already. “To us!” he toasted as they clinked their glasses together. They proceeded to drink the entire bottle, laughing and giddly discussing their attraction to each other. One drunken thing led to another and soon enough they were making out heavily on the motel bed. The passion was blazing between them. The combination between the booze and the atmosphere left them each in a moment of weakness, which only one of them was able to take advantage of. With one hand caressing the side of his fac, mid-kiss, Jessica reached behind her with her free hand to grab the knife she had hidden on the nightstand next to the bed, and forced it straight into Dean’s neck. Dean let out a brief yelp, but it was soon muffled by the blood that was coming out of his mouth. The blood immediately began gushing out as the knife dug into an artery and soon sprayed all over Jessica and all over the bed, the cracked white wall it was up against and dripped onto the carpet underneath. The life had been forced out of him before he could even cry for help and Jessica felt no remorse.

Without bothering to clean up the murder scene, Jessica quickly searched for Dean’s wallet and keys and rushed out the door to immediately hop into her new Thunderbird: her dream car. She turned the keys in the ignition and started driving before anybody could see her pull out of the driveway. She had no feelings in this moment, other than the satisfaction of doing something so spontaneous. She felt proud of herself as the drove away on the open road, a whole new realm of possibilities awaiting her. She would not be going back home; she would take on a new identity and become the person she’d always wanted to be. She would get married to the right man and she would start a family in another state. She may even move to Europe.

All of these thoughts raced through her head and she just smiled on. She was a brand new woman ready to take on the world at the turn of a decade, until the engine in the Thunderbird malfunctioned, leaving her on the side of a road that was unknown to her. Little did she know that Dean’s reason for traveling to East Borrow was to trade the defective vehicle in for a new one at the original dealership. Not long after, a police car pulled up behind her.