01. Writer
–

Michelle Lukezic

02. Theme
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Balance

03. MUSIC INSPIRATION
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Brandi Carlile:
The Story

04. WRITING
–

Some friends and I do this thing called Question of the Day (QoTD). We take turns being the question’er, and everyone always answers. A good question, in QoTD, is defined by how profound the insights are in our answers. 

QoTD: Other than friends/family what do you miss most about your hometown?

… (easy question, not very deep, should be able to nail this in a sentence or two) …
… (trying to answer in spin class) …
… (trying to answer on walk home) …
… (trying to answer as I put the dishes away) …
… (I don’t miss anything from my hometown) … 
… (I really don’t miss a goddamn thing from that place) …

Well, miss… no.
I miss absolutely nothing.
But, value… maybe.

Artifacts.  

The train tracks... where we walked and solved math problems… adoration.
The coffee shop... where we discovered our music… infatuation. 
The basketball courts where 3-on-3 in the sun and all the fucking cursing coalesced… thrill.
The slope under the bridge… where we made-out… exhilaration.
The library… where we developed our love for research and books… curiosity.
The lunch table… where we sat quietly watching each other’s back… empathy. 
The park… where we would draw in our sketchbooks… acceptance.
…
The desk… where the paper with the red ink resided… disappointment. 
The swimming pool… where they pointed and laughed… humiliation. 
The phone… which received the call saying Cindy had to be put to sleep… grief. 
The journal… read out loud to all the classmates… rage.
The gravel… where I bit-it face-first… mortification.
The scale at the doctor's office... where the nurse chuckled... embarrassment. 
The drive-way… where I sat still after the eight-hour car ride back from Ohio… loneliness.

… (sigh) …

Everyone's hometown has these artifacts. Right? 

… (hometown) …
… (miss) …

I suppose I don’t miss my hometown one-bit.
It is not a place I want to go back to.

But those seemingly ambiguous artifacts;
I can not deny that they profoundly define me.