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S3 Scribble #21: BODYGUARD

Sydney Braun Leave a comment

“They couldn’t catch you and they never will,”

This past weekend, I went to Cleveland, Ohio to see the solar eclipse in totality. In 2017, my family and I traveled to Columbia, South Carolina to experience totality, and it was such an amazing experience that we agreed to see the next solar eclipse that crossed the United States in totality as well. This year, in 2024, we fulfilled that promise and met up in Cleveland for the weekend to experience the awe-inspiring event once again.

“Sometimes I hold you closer just to know you’re real.”

I drove there from Ann Arbor with one of my brothers, who is a huge fan of Beyoncé. She just released a new album entitled Cowboy Carter, and I promised my brother that I would wait to listen to it until we were in the car together so he could tell me all about the album and various songs. Not only was this a great bonding experience for us (music is one of my favorite ways to get to know someone better, even someone I’ve known for the vast majority of my life), but it was love at first listen. I’ve had songs from Cowboy Carter on repeat ever since, but none make me feel as happy and ready to get up and dance as “BODYGUARD.”

“Tell me your problems, I take how you feel,”

Clearly, I’ve chosen a happy song for a happy blog detailing a happy weekend. Getting to spend time with my whole family all together was rejuvenating and fun, and the eclipse did not disappoint. For me, I don’t think experiencing totality will ever lose its appeal. Even though I experienced it back in 2017, my sense of wonder during this year’s eclipse was unmatched. To be able to witness the eclipse alongside those closest to me made it all the more special.

“I show you an exit,”

After a chaotic and traffic-filled drive back to Ann Arbor, I felt nothing but gratitude and love. I’m thrilled to have had such a wonderful and rare opportunity to have seen a second total solar eclipse, and I’m happy to have made such fun memories with my family. I’m also incredibly glad that I’ve got a new, amazing album on rotation – perfect for the fast-approaching summer!

“When you’re restless, I take the wheel.”

Listen to BODYGUARD by Beyoncé here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E9qjKyMk9iI&list=OLAK5uy_lirsolI4HUPN3Uvmxylc6v1wlR5OXUONQ&index=8

Wolverine Stew: Graveyard Eclipse

clydemg 1 Comment

I follow the path of quills and daffodils

Blue ground-facing stars and yellow suns

A spring soil night as the sky above

Turns dim, a growing grey

But a welcome one in place of

The gloom that has begun to break

And as I walk I see dozens of others

All with their glasses that turn the sun

Into a campfire crescent moon

Celebrating on every patch of grass

In the front lawns where

A cracked, plastic skeleton rests in a pile

I end up at the cemetery, fellow sky-gazers

Sitting amongst the headstones as

The trees begin to bud, robins rushing between them

Starry blue flowers sprouting beneath

As moss creeps across the polished names

And lichen-loved stones

Like faces and upturned mushrooms caps

And just in time I find a place

Where the branches part

Where I feel welcomed to sit beside the graves

Where the sounds of my eyelashes

Against the dark film that guards them

Sounds like rustling in the pinecones and dry leaves

And the chirp of birds reaches its crescendo

As that waning crescent almost gives way

Before waxing yet again

And I spend a few more moments

Planted in the grass

Before making my way out of the cemetery

I pick a direction, and on I go

Because as the sky brightens

There’s so many

White-winged moths, wolf spiders, cranes, colonies of ants

To spot along the path

And I hope to see them all

Before this day ends

aSoSS 22 | Shadow

a-spider-on-state-street Leave a comment

So I told him “let me look into it”… and then I looked into it and I still have no idea!

Cardiovascular Center, 6:00PM, 3/11/2024

[son of absents] wedged between the post and the poles, black hair and emaciated letters askew. nyx shades her face out of shame. the ballot drops to the floor and deposits a list of names in the mud, puddles formed by the scars of the horses long asleep. the reflection casts empty against the sky, shrouded by percentages, gone but not gone enough. i point up and you put glasses on and something shifts. the voice in my head fades to black, drowning.

as if–

I only started wearing makeup in college so I kind of missed the middle school-high school experimenting phase…

Traverwood Library, 6:00PM, 3/17/2024

–the water would support the weight, even though we both know memory is the price to pay, ouroboros would not be so kind, an ever-consuming serpent chasing its tail, shrinking like a lasso in the wind, because the wind, like sand, penetrates the corners of my conscience, crevices never cleaned and skin never washed, wasted on whispers like close your eyes, it will be okay, the mask is lifted and the sponge comes off and the smoke clears the air, a mirror in its wake, a brilliant light, blinding, suffocating, and i scream and turn away–

What do you mean you can feel the moon coming? Are you a werewolf?

Stamps Courtyard, 3:00PM, 4/8/2024

–and yet:

when i leave my shadow grows stronger, absorbing the darkness you left behind. weak of muscle and wide of belly, the sun lies stagnant. we only look for it when it disappears, i think. you fashioned a suit from the feathers of my pillow, flying too high on borrowed wings. the moon passes in mourning, threading the needle, as the wax melts and the brown turns to black, a fall from grace. too proud for light, your presence goes unnoticed under the [absence of sun].

Witness the Small Life – R&R

Mia Lambert Leave a comment

We are back! I had to take a small break last week due to a huge array of big things happening in my life, but this week I was able to rest, relax, and resume my appreciation for the little things. No matter how the past week or two or three have been treating you, I hope you’re able to stop and smell those roses along your path through it all.

Like I said, this week has been all about resetting and recuperation. From doing every Monday crossword in the NYT archive to indulging in some No Thai here and there, I’ve been working hard to keep spirits up as I’ve been working hard. Second semester is no joke!

Something important that I’ve truly realized during all of these rituals and routines is the importance of trusting your future self. During a phone call the other week I had someone tell me to allow my present self to trust my future self. At the time of this call I was so stressed and anxious for my future. I had signed a lease for the first time, I had decided the minor I wanted to pursue, and it all felt like my world was spinning at too fast of a speed. I was worried I was making all the wrong choices and that I would end up a failure to myself and others. The person I was talking to, however, reminded me that if I’ve made it here already with all the things I’ve been able to do and the joy I’ve been able to have that goes to show that my future self has been making the right decisions. It’s important to recognize that whatever you’re doing in the moment is what is best for you right then. We live life moment by moment, not year by year. To have trust in your future self allows your present self to take care of what you need right now. Although it’s hard to not worry about tomorrow or next month or next year even, it’s helped me a lot to remember that my future self will take care of me because my present self already is.

To take into our next week:

Ins: Journaling in every form possible (drawing, writing, recording, etc.), calling long distance friends every day, silly graffiti, Sierra Ferrell my beloved, slightly-stale Haribo gummy bears, laying in the grass.

Outs: Complaining for the sake of complaining, not having any shorts to wear, bottling up every single thought you have, feeling like you need to have an answer to everything, laying in bed until noon, hating the future when it hasn’t even happened yet.

Here’s to our wonderful weather from this past weekend and to good health and happiness in surviving the end of the semester!