Alexandria

Secrets in the Spotlight

The subtle creaking of the aged-stained door I see too often doesn’t intimidate me as it once did. Behind the door lies a hallway I’ve seen so many dark, smiling faces step out of. After clocking in I walk towards a smell I never thought I’d get used to and stairs that lead me to the only place I belong. I am greeted by the periodical beeping of a refrigerator and the pumping of soda machines. They’re as comforting as an old friend’s reassuring hug or a mother’s expected sympathy.

I walk towards the dressing room – the dressing room I sweated in, the dressing room I ate in, and the dressing room I’ve seen at least ten girls at a time naked in. It’s expectedly dingy, nothing a little light couldn’t help. The air conditioner feels cleansing as it encompasses my skin that is generously exposed to Lahaina’s heat. I bathe in this icy air as I examine the joys of puberty on my face – two new zits. Fun.

I reach for my rose-colored make-up box – home to pretty much everything and anything unnecessary. After I cover up every imperfection I start to enhance my features, a concept I’ll never understand. The weight of femininity is heavy, just another pointless shackle secured tightly around my bony ankle. My coworkers have finally arrived. Always on time. Never early. No, not like myself.

The dark says, “Good night” never soon enough as I pass through a parking lot that’s tired of being filled with monotonous rental cars. The clouds stretch their ivory bodies across a pleasant painter’s sky, a clear canvas smeared with shades of lavender and tangerine in perfect bloom. Mauna Kahalawai sits in the background, lush and fading. The Luna’s trademark boasts its individuality upon these sturdy mountains.

This place is my home, where I feel comfortable, where I can be me without completely scaring anyone away. I chant here. I dance here. I do things that no one ever knew I could, that no one will ever know I can. I learn here. I teach here. The haole tourists depend on me to educate them on my culture. I’m needed here. I contribute here. I’m always there to pick up the slack, but I don’t mind one bit. Being here taught me that aloha was integral, and being here ensures that I will never forget.

 

I Am a Genie in a Bottle

I am a genie in a bottle, impatiently waiting to burst out and into the course of life.

Even with limitations, I still have the biggest dreams you’ve ever seen.

Stuck in this bottle wanting to do everything I’m capable of.

I could build my own house in the Bahamas or go back-packing through all of Europe.

I am multi-faceted, able to transform into one of my many personalities. The concept of me is simple. You get three wishes. One, two, three.

But be cautious because I make my own rules. There’s not enough room for my independence.

I hope this bottle cracks soon. 

My Writing Philosophy

Writing creates a place to soar with the solemn lords of the sea and swim with the avian creatures of the sky.

 

Revised Alex about me

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