Neverlands

Street lamps, house lights, store signs, all reflecting off of the ground at night after or while it's raining.

Foggy mornings, too early to be awake, looking up at the treeline or skyline and seeing everything disappearing into the sky.

Standing by the ocean at night, waves crashing along the sand the only thing you can see in the dark, the only thing visible in front of you is the white sea foam.

Abandoned locations with nature already reclaiming empty shells we humans have left behind.

Rain falling with the windows open and it's not quite cloudy or dull - there's an odd light coming from somewhere, but it distorts the world outside that window

When the sun has just set and it's raining, but there's nothing in front of you and nothing behind you. Just you and the streetlamp and the water reflecting the light along the street.

The atmosphere before a thunderstorm, that electric scent oozing within the air, the warm breeze mixing with the AC from inside, how one side of the sky is almost pitch black with the sun shining brilliantly through the clouds.

Fairy lights on the stairs to a fire escape.

The smell of firewood burning on a chilly winter day - where it kind of smells like smoked sausage.

Bonfire, firewood burning in general, the smell and the scent it leaves on your clothes the day after.

Boardwalks at night with all the music and people and tacky shops - where they all sell the same thing, but you could also see what weird trend is in at that time - and the smell of fries with the sound of seagulls and the ocean in the distance.

Any concerts or large events where thousands of people are there for the same thing and reason. Singing together, dancing together.

Any beach town with pastel colors and constant laze-fair attitudes and atmosphere.

The city at night, watching from a balcony high up, all the traffic and crowds of people milling below with neon lights pulsing with the beat of the crowd.

An evening on the beach as the sun begins to set, where humans are just being humans; playing, laughing, walking, racing, living in that very moment, and refusing to let go.

Watching the snow fall so silently, so gracefully as traffic outside races by. The world clashing, nature careful and conscious of its beauty as humanity rushes about without abandon.

Flower petals littering the road after a windy thunder or rainstorm, bright pink and pristine white popping against dark and damp asphalt.

Brilliant sunsets, striking pinks dissolving to purples, oranges scorching the horizon with hints of blue bleeding between the clouds. All of which reflecting off the windows and trim of your car in a Target parking lot.

The sun peaking through the blinds of your window, reaching for the suncatchers hanging just inches beyond and shattering the light into dozens of fragmented rainbows along your walls.

The soft pattering of rain against the fabric of your tent as you sit and watch the droplets roll from the low-hanging leaves of trees. The earth chattering as the rain hits and settles along the blanket of fallen leaves and debris.

A small town, alight with activity on a chilled Friday night, lights hanging from the trees with people milling from one shop to another, from a wine tasting to a restaurant to an ice cream shop; all along one block.

After a long day at the beach, after a shower and dry clothes, snuggled up under the first layer of blankets of the hotel bed. The balcony door to the room is open, the consistent crashing of waves rolling along the sand as the tides rise and recede. The distant caws of seagulls and the rickety clatter of the room's AC lull you to a short, but incredibly satisfying nap.

2024 Vocal Goals: Story 2 of 24