forever

thoughts,
buzzing,
always,
in her mind.
she had to write them down,
to capture them before they flew away,
lost with the others

moments in time,
she would see them,
notice them,
want to hold on to them-
to the moment,
to the memory--
forever

so she began to write and take pictures. she finally discovered a way to tangibly mold the many feelings and emotions stirring in her fifteen year old mind. she became fascinated with her aunt's words and images, and she soon created a blog of her own. little did she know that "eye to eye" would become a part of her, a part she would always cherish. the walls of her small southern town were torn down as she made friends across the country and across the world through her blog. the world of blogging introduced a sense of self-worth and confidence in her, and it carried her through her high school years. she is now forever grateful.

Words cannot describe the emotion filling me as I write my closing post for "Eye to Eye." I am forever indebted to the wonderfully talented people I have met and learned from through this blog. The constant support, comments, encouragement that many of you have given me from the beginning have been invaluable throughout my growing up process. I smile every time I think of my first posts and how much my writing and photography styles have evolved since-- and I have every one of you to thank for it. I largely regret not having been present in this space for so long. Who knew senior year could be so time consuming? Despite my absence here, I have thought of my fellow bloggers constantly, and I still read your blogs regularly. I could never express my awe of the talent of all you bloggers— your endless creativity has been my example all these years. I will carry the acceptance, warmth and true friendship that you all have shown me throughout the rest of my life. Thank you forever for taking in the shy and small-town girl you knew as "suzyQ" and being so influential in her development as a young adult. Because you all believed in me, I am who I am today.

I am closing this place so dear to me because it has finally completed its purpose of fostering my high school years. As I am upon graduation and then entering college in the fall, I feel it's time to say good-bye to "Eye to Eye." I will be back in the blogging world one day-- I promise. I could never leave this special atmosphere forever. In the meantime, please check for my occasional posts on Shutter Sisters!

I have cherished this experience so greatly, and you all will always have a warm and fuzzy place in my heart. I love all of you, and I thank you forever and ever and ever.

xo
Suzanna

The Rush

She’s there,
On the tip of a steep cliff,
Playfully dangling her toes off the edge.
She could take five comfortable steps back,
And be safe again-
But she’s tired of safe.

For she craves the fall.
She craves the wind rushing around her,
Filling her lungs
and bringing goose bumps to her arms.
Although she loves the soft landing behind her,
It is the thrill she seeks,
Knowing that as soon as the cliff beneath her crumbles,
Her life begins.

Her life-
Her own.
The cliff of her childhood will soon be gone,
And she sits,
Looking over the edge,
Seeing the rush of the fall-
The rush of her life,
And she is tempted to jump,
To leap into the possibilities almost in reach of her dangling toes.
Who will I meet?
Where will I be?
What will I become?
The constant itch of these questions lies in her bones,
For she knows she must wait for answers.
Wait.
Wait.

And soon-
She remembers her soft landing,
It is not quite finished yet.
She goes back to basking in her final moments in the comfort,
In the familiar…

But her strive for the wind,
for the fall,
for the rush,
is always in the back of her mind.
She’s ready for her new life to begin.

**cross-posted at Shutter Sisters