Teen Pulse

The Mountain

The sun beat down with no relief.
the sweat dripped down my chin.
I looked up at the mountain so tall
and let the journey begin.

It must have been a hundred miles wide
and at least ten times that tall
as I climbed my way up the rugged terrain
and hoped I wouldn’t fall.

Shrieks and growls and echoes came,
probably lions and tigers and bears,
their eyes lurking in the bushes all around
— I’d just have to stay aware.

Rattle snakes slithered in and out of rocks,
their fangs thirsty for flesh.
Vultures circle over head
to take whatever’s left.

Now that the smoke has cleared from the Los Alamos air and the Las Conchas Fire is almost completely contained, I took a few minutes to remember that scary day of being told to evacuate.
Our family of four had been living here for a little over a year and had never experienced an evacuation due to fire, or tornado or hurricane, for that matter. But because the smoke was so thick on the morning of June 27, we had already decided to leave the area before we received the recorded telephone evacuation message.

Okay, everybody loves the latest fashion trends, especially in the summer. I am a trend freak and am always looking for the next “in” thing.
In the past month, I have cottoned on to one of the best trends to hit the stores yet: the on-the-ship sailor trend.
It is being worn by teens and adults around the world, touching base with brands like Tommy Hilfiger, who has now called it his new “prep look.”
This new sailor look is made up of three basic colors: dark navy blue, red and white. It is accented with beige, white, or black, but only in little doses.
Stripes are the main pattern and they usually are either worn on top as a shirt, or on the bottom as a skirt, pants, or high-waisted shorts.