#beginning of fall

Beginning of Fall

Nikolaos Schizas

“Don't worry if you're making waves just by being yourself. The Moon does it all the time.”

It’s the middle of September, and for the first time in my life the month has me thinking of the future instead of the past. Cruel hope fills my heart, and I can’t help but smile at the sky and believe that positive change is coming…

hair in a messy bun, smudged eyeliner, dark red fall-y lipstick, wrongly buttoned blouse, comfy jeans, black boots, massive HEADPHONES

brown seemingly bottomless bag, carried over one shoulder, filled with a view notebooks and collegeblocks, a lot of loose pencils and pens

happily chatting with friends on the way to class

morning fogginess and wett grass from the cold nights

sunny days, often cloudy, orange and red and brown leaves crunch while walking over them

sittting on a park bench trying to read a textbook and take notes but being constantly distracted by playing children or animals or the last few warm sunrays of the year

going for a picnic with friends

laying on a big scarf on the rooftop with your laptop youtube - studying

standing on top of a hill, letting the wind pick up your hair and throw it everywhere, closing your eyes, breathing it in, feeling alive again

lighting up the first candle of the season, watching the light flicker in the slowly darkening room

going stationary shopping with your friends and finding the cutest little notebook  and eraser

finally being able to wear your favourite long pair of sweatpants again

Four years ago In the soft summer breeze At sunset to dusk I first met you And your comforting smile

The storm inside my heart Was calm The wind broke Through these shelters and barriers Then rested For you to meet me here, Just precisely Where I was

The timing was perfect Divine Surreal Looking back With this sweet nostalgia I see the golden glow Of the sun's reflection Beaming onto the clouds And refracting the light Showing He is near

And surely, He was near He was there Opening my heart Opening my mind Opening my ears Allowing me To listen freely Think proactively And speak The words the shy me Would otherwise be Afraid to say

But thankfully, He was there And He so perfectly Placed everyone in that room Where they were meant to be

Because a smile so precious Cannot go unnoticed It cannot exist Without the Holy Spirit Or without the joy He brings

And you Are joy Before I knew What it truly was

You are kindness In every atom And every breath you breathe

You are as perfect As an imperfect child of God Could ever be made, Crafted through faith A masterpiece and artwork Painted carefully and calculated In every paintbrush’s stroke

You opened my eyes to faith So I could see How blindly it exists With reference to society And how it follows Without question, Without backing down

You showed me love Before I was able to embrace it It was only when the hugs you gave Let me realize What I had missing Inside my heart, With all the selflessness and patience I had never before known

And of course You have shown me friendship As embracing as a trickling stream But with a breadth Wider than the ocean

And that Is all because You are A mural Of all the beauty I've ever seen Manifesting in the cumulus clouds With seas of stratus Blended throughout With gold Orange Yellow Pink Purple And the softest hues Of red and blue

You are a sky With a heart that travels Deep and wide An original framed piece Too great to fit on a wall More priceless than the Mona Lisa Because you bring A softness and awe Layered with love and joy Sprinkled with sugar Onto a unique canvas Painting a piece of art We on Earth Have without hesitation Called _ _ _ _ _ _

And you are indeed _ _ _ _ _ _. A friend as priceless as they come With a smile that can light The darkest room Faith that can move mountains With one breath A heart that beats With the purest hope And everything encompassing Who He made you to be.

I could not imagine This world without you, Or the infinite sky

There would be a void Voided of all love and light

But because there is a sky, And an atmosphere from The troposphere to The exosphere, A vacuum that extends Beyond the galaxy Lightyears into the universe, Full of the infinite darkness, distance, Stars, and light,