National Adult Literacy Database

November 6, 2000

This story was written by Marlon O'Brien from Whitehorse, Yukon. Marlon is quite an avid writer. He also uses computers and E-mail on a regular basis at Yukon College in Whitehorse.

Place in my Mind

by Marlon O'Brien

There is a place in my mind where I like to go. It's up above where I do not feel low. Maybe you know what it's like? Where everything is so nice and no one is there to control you. The air is so consuming and the sky is light blue. With every bird flying overhead, singing your song, filling your head with the sounds of nature, and funfilled happiness. The faces that are there are always smiling and taking you to a higher place, with white fluffy clouds on which to lie yourself down. To have all the dreams that you ever wanted float through; in and out of you at your will. With all our dreams making us see that everything was never about you or me. The people of the world have their little minds and their little ways of dealing with the trials of life. My own ways are far from the ways that others have expressed before. I wish to deal with trials no more.

I like to go to the place in my mind where there is no more pain. In this place in my mind I release all my anger at the world and my pain. All these memories of the past start to happen fast. My past life is trying to hold me back, but all I want to do is move on. Now my life is so far gone that it's become more of an effort for me to travel on as time passes. I've been willing, able and ready to go ahead with this fight. Now I feel heavy and stuffed but I have to keep going. From the sky and below, everything has been ripping and tearing its way through my soul.

And when I thought it was safe to go on, they came out of nowhere and hit me in ways that I never could have imagined. Licking my wounds and having the strength to crawl back home I hide away from their sneers and their grins as they walk by me on the street. All I have left to do is go back to that place that had for so long that I held in my mind and kept it warm and safe. So I go back to that place in my mind. Yet again the clouds and the birds plus the air that has been the giver of my freedom surround me with all their glory. Once again I feel free from the world and all it's harmful self preserving ways. I AM HOME!