Author: Maximilian Contreras

Can I go over to a friends house tonight?

I’ll have to think about it for a bit, ask your dad.

Why do I have to ask him, your right here?

Because that’s what I said.

That makes no sense, I’m literally only going over to Jack’s house like a thousand times before.

Who else is going to be there?

Just a couple of our other friends.

What will you guys be doing?

Mom we’re just going to be hanging out, why are you making this so difficult.

I’m sorry. You can go but be home at a decent time and don’t be going anywhere your not supposed to.

Ok thank you.

I love you.

Love you too.

When I was a kid

I loved being with my dad

I loved playing with my friends

I loved pretending to drive

I loved hockey

Now that has changed

I don’t want to be around my dad

I forgot what it was like to play

I hate driving

I lost my love for hockey

Device used: Anaphora- repetition of word or phrase in successive clauses.

A turtle goes about his day 

like every other day

Calmly floating in a pond

With not a worry in it’s mind

But if that harm comes 

He just curls up inside his shell

And hides from his aggressor 

He’s very underestimated by everyone

Who thinks he’s harmless 

But when he needs to be

He can stand up for himself

And his other turtle friends 

If I should have a child

everyone around me would panic

because they would think

I wouldn’t be able to raise it 

Everyone would doubt me

but that child would grow up 

with a loving father

 and a caring family

If I should have a child

they should know that

I will always be there for them 

no matter the circumstance

They will always be able

to come to me 

to talk and ask for advice  

If I should have a child

they should know that they

will be loved more than anything

and be taken care of

If I should have a child

I would want them to have 

a big family to surround them with

so they won’t ever feel alone

If I should have a child

I am going to be 

the greatest father to that child

I can possibly be

Dad

You think you understand me but you don’t. You spend so much time away from home that I feel lost. I understand your doing it to make our family prosper, but our relationship is dissolving. Yet when you are home you’re so tired and angered at everything that I run from you. It’s so peaceful and quiet when you’re gone but I wish it wasn’t. I wish I had a life where you were mostly in it. I blame you for my insecurities and loneliness. You yell and scream for no reason and scare everyone away. I wish you were more understanding. I wish we were closer.

Dear little Max,

Ever since you were born you were surrounded by the game of hockey. Dad always watched Hockey Night in Canada with Don Cherry and his amazing suits every saturday night. You fought the urge of falling asleep to stay awake and watch the Canadians play the Leafs. It was the highlight of the weekend for you. Ever since dad put you on skates when you were 4, you loved the game of hockey. I know how much you loved skating on the frozen ponds every winter with the neighbors. When you were on your first hockey team Coach Don was the man who meant the most to you. He was the one who showed you how to play the game of hockey. I know how much it meant to your when you made your fist travel team in Lakeland. You were so excited to be able to play higher level hockey and excel. Mom and dad were always your biggest supporters and took you all over the state to watch you play the game you love. You knew you were good but you didn’t know exactly how good. When all the coaches and parents told you to go play AAA you didn’t believe them because you were scared that you weren’t good enough. You missed out on a real good opportunity to succeed in the game you love. Dad also got you into the game of golf. You found a real good balance between playing golf in the summer and playing hockey in the winter. Playing golf with your friends was something you really loved to do. Those late evening rounds with dad and grandpa were memories you knew you were going to cherish forever. You did good in school but dad got on you a couple times for being a bit lazy. Laziness was something dad hated and you took that to heart.

“Laziness won’t get you anywhere in life,” my dad always tells me. He always says it when he feels like my grades aren’t doing that well or when he tries to make an example of it. I always try to comprehend what he says. But after hearing him say it so many times, it flew right past my ears. I thought little of it since I was a kid and only cared about having fun or hanging out with friends, but that changed quickly. 

It was a fresh Monday morning, time for a good start to the week. I was finishing packing my backpack as I opened my phone and checked google classroom. As I was scrolling through, checking on one assignment I had to turn in that day, it came across my eyes. Chapter 4 Test Today. My heart dropped the second I read it. It felt like all the blood had rushed out of my head. I had completely forgotten about it. Instead of spending my weekend studying and preparing for the test, I laid around the house, relaxed, and hung out with friends. I was screwed. I finished packing my bag, went downstairs, put my shoes on, then bolted out the door. I needed as much time to study as I could, so I rushed straight to school. I ran into my class as soon as I parked. 

I got to my desk, then looked at the clock and noticed I only had 10 minutes before class started. I grabbed out my notebook and engaged in the material. My legs were shaking, my hands were sweating, and all I could think about was how I’m going to fail this test. Not even realizing everyone coming into class, the last bell rang. I was defeated already. I knew nothing even after trying to cram. The teacher passed out the tests row by row. My anxiety was growing as the closer she got to me. I almost felt like I was going to pass out. The teacher handed me the test and immediately looked through it; I didn’t know a single thing. I wasn’t scared because of the test anymore. I already accepted the fact that I was going to fail it. I was nervous because of what my dad was going to think when he saw the grade I was going to get. Accepting defeat, I turned my test in and went back to my desk with my head down. The rest of the day I couldn’t focus on school because I was worried about what my parent’s reaction was going to be. 

After school, I drove home with the thought of just admitting to my parents that I failed my test. It’d be better if they hear it from me instead of finding out through PowerSchool. I pulled into my driveway, hesitantly got out of the car, and walked into my house. For some reason, my dad was home, which made nothing better. After I walked through the door, I put my bag down and sat in the living room next to my parents. I opened my mouth to speak, but nothing came out. After clearing my throat, I turned to them and said, “I failed my math test today.” 

    My dad turned to me with a grimacing look on his face and said, “Are you kidding me?” 

    My face turned red, my hands sweating, and I thought in my head, “I wish I had studied.”

When I was younger, perhaps the summer between 5th and 6th grade, me and my friends would always hang out in the woods behind my house. Day after day, we found something that gained our interest, and that’s all we did. On one hot summer day, we thought it would be fun to build a treehouse. I immediately went home and started drawing out designs of what I thought a cool treehouse would look like. I watched multiple videos on how to build and put it together. I was engaged in this idea. 

Every day we had our parents buy us pieces of lumber from the store and haul it back to my house. We created a system of how we were each going to handle the project. I found that I was the one who was taking most of the responsibility and leading the group. Every time there was something that needed to be drilled or put together, I was the one who wanted to do it. I started getting connected with this project. Once it got dark and we had to go home, the only thing I looked forward to was the next day and being able to go work on the treehouse. 

Working on the treehouse felt like a real job to all of us. It made us feel like we were all grown up and important. The project was meant to be just for fun. However, it gave purpose to all of us. I found a passion for building and creating things at such a young age. After a week of building the treehouse, we completed all the sides and platforms. The next days after, we spent building the roof. I became obsessed with the project and started to paint and design the treehouse after everyone had left. My parents were worried for a bit because they thought I was spending too much time out in the woods.    

I finished building the treehouse after three weeks. We all got so excited because we created something that we didn’t think we could. I was filled with so much joy and happiness that I ran home, slammed through the door, went straight to my mom, and said, “we finished it!” She was so proud of me. After that day, I wanted to do more projects. I helped my dad cut down a tree in our front yard, we built a wall out of stones for landscaping, and built shelves to put in our garage for storage. That feeling of completing something and feeling proud is what I became obsessed with.

I am nervous

I am nervous

but don’t try and control me

for my body will break 

and the farther down I will dig

only to be left alone 

by myself