I Am....

Alrighty, let's keep this short and sweet. 

I am JACOB WEST

A Poem I wish I Never Wrote

    I wrote this poem last year for a girl. I told myself that no one would ever read this. Not my swerviest move, but I wrote it nonetheless. And if you know me you know how the rest of this story goes...

Our Heart and the Stars:

I wrote down what the stars spoke. What they told me so often. 

The stars held my hand till I held hers. Promising they were little holes that the sun shone through. That the night sky was just a thick blanket and that they- the stars- were glimpses at a brighter tomorrow. Everytime you spoke liquid bells sounded forth, sharing what the stars said. You didn't know it, but every time you spoke, you spoke their language. Now here at last, we can look at the beginning together. And hear what the stars say to us. Listen and understand together. That we are for each other. That we feel the same. And hand in hand I whisper in your ear "I love you (insert name here)." And the stars don't talk anymore, they sing to us now.  Dance poetry across the sky. So our hearts join them in singing, as we enjoy each other's company, being young. And the only thing we can see is each other and the stars. 

An Honorable Death

"To the valiant seamen who perished on the Maine,

by fate unwarned, in death unafraid."

Things I Know.

-Ask and ye shall receive, works.
-We are youth of a noble birthright.
-We are children of God and He has a work for us to do.
-God has deeper purposes that we sometimes fail to see when things don't "go right."
-Life is more than just being born, working, surviving, and then dying. Life has a meaning.
-Doing things the Lord's way instead of our way is always what is best for us.
-Following a prompting from the Holy Ghost is always the right thing to do. It will always bring us closer to our Savior Jesus Christ.
-Trust in our Heavenly Father to guide us, help us, and take care of us; because He is Heavenly Father, and He will never let us down. He wants the best for us.
-We can trust in God. Because he is God.

These things I know.

And you can know too if you just ask Him, and then trust in His timing.

Something Everybody Should See

This is something everybody should see. I found it on twitter. It was written by a blogger who has struggled with depression.

"At 17, I was a depressed teenager who self harmed and wondered about just how painful it could possible be to end my life.

Right now, I'm laying on the couch, and I can hear my husband reading our four year old a bedtime story using silly voices.

Life gets better. Make sure you're there to see it.

I just started crying.

this is very important

Read this, over and over again. It really does get better."

Notes to people who will never read them

-Dear black guy in the white suit who tripped in the uptown funk music video, I noticed.
-Dear mop top kid in my creative writing class, I hope I've made you feel comfortable.
-Dear Chase and Caleb, I met you because of Sam, I hope you feel like I like you.
-Dear muscly kid who drives an A Plus, thank you for your perspective.
-Dear silver haired man that cares, thanks for caring.
-Brother Durant, I hope you don't notice my eyes when they shut for more than a few seconds, I'm trying to be respectful.
-Dear career stereotypes about scientists and engineers and the marketers, some may be true, but character is what counts.
-Dear pencil-drilled holes in desks, I don't know what amount of pain or boredom birthed your existence.
-Dear kid who doesn't know how he smells, I don't mind because I know your past, I just hope others choose to understand too.
-Dear Melodians and Toots & Maytals, I recognize you.
-Dear white iPhone case and Dear Giraffe iPhone case, please be grateful that virtuous young daughters of God hold you in their hands.
-Dear people who have snarked at my journal entry on page 12, I'm a little self-conscious of writing in purple now.
-Dear purple pen I write with, I'll still write with you because you make me feel sensitive, self-conscious, and vulnerable. Because you remind me of killing me in that purple long sleeve shirt, and a month.
-Dear pulsing gold pants that are on the father's dancing hips, you left me speechless.
-Dear camera man with the camo pants, long sleeve jean shirt, and forest green beret; thanks for filming Frank's dunk against AF.
-Dear Grand Poobah, you're the successor to ISIS, you're a terrorist, and I believe that is wrong. But you do have a pretty cool name :)
-Dear people who know my pen name, I sometimes have to filter stuff for you, sometimes I don't.

Things That Make Me Happy

Green left turn arrows, friendly cashiers, fast sunday dinners,
feeling like I can drink water forever, nailing a harmony, getting compliments,
people who smile back at you in the halls, strangers who say "hi" first,
dates, laughing so hard that i start crying (almost),
upbeat music, days with nothing to do, finishing homework,
cafe rio burritos, frog eye salad, happy family time,
when feelings are mutual, secret vocabularies between friends,
when someone finally tells you that secret, feeling in shape,
finally saying what was on the tip of my tongue,
people who lift you up because they're on the same level as you.