The sea turtles were the first to fully take in the scene. All the smaller fish went darting away as quickly as possible - they were used to fleeing, after all, that being the natural order of things. It was when the sharks also sped away, not towards, as they are wont to do in their predatory way, but from, that the rest of the ocean understood there was truly a problem.

The words "bomb threat" carried from the television speaker into the bedroom, where I was putting on my makeup. The newscaster's voice shared how it wasn't the first threat at that particular college, detailing the usual following events of evacuation and investigation. I turned on my blowdryer, drowning out the news, yet my thoughts lingered along the somber narrative.

A sonnet for my baby, quietly growing more each day.

I didn’t know I was good soil until
A seed took root and let us both become
A garden, verdant, and what joy to till
Of all sweet hope, this bloom will be the sum

Every year, I enjoy looking back on music which stood out to me. Mostly it is new music from that year, though sometimes a song from the past will make it onto my list of ones I play on repeat. Always, there is so much more music to discover, so much I didn't get to or didn't hear about. Music, like most art, is a wonder; there is such variety in what is produced, what resonates with whom, and what continues to last.

Think of times when breaking is beautiful: the sun breaking through the clouds, a diver breaking through calm water, a geode - dull on the outside - breaking apart to reveal the glittering center.