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Welcome to the digital portfolio for Merideth Alves.
A current biology major at Northern Essex Community College, Merideth writes for Examiner.com and is working on several other fiction and non-fiction literature projects. She works as a case manager for a residency program for adults with mental disabilities and aspires to one day publish a novel.
Merideth Alves
©Merideth Alves 2008-2009 All works herein are the intellectual property of Merideth Alves. Any unauthorized use or reproduction is a violation of the United States Copyright laws.
Poetry
Southern Summers
Do you remember?
That summer we spent in south?
I confessed to you
My fear of lightning storms
And spiders
And loneliness.
We listened to the buskers
Sing their hobo songs,
And your daddy's blues records.
Our mommas swore
We grew almost a foot
Under that southern sun.
Now you hold me close,
Especially during those lightning storms,
We listen to heart beats,
And our mommas
Are measuring the inches around my belly.
Understood
Aesop once told me:
Affairs are easier of entrance than of exit;
And it is but common prudence to see our way out before we venture in.
We both know,
I've never seen my own way out.
And for once,
I wish I had.
It's been three years since I entered this affair,
And I'm still lost on this path,
With no trail of breadcrumbs to find my way out.
And you,
Well you've been trailing me all along.
I'm not sure anymore,
If you're following so I'll lead you out too,
Or if you're just trying to keep me lost.
I wish it was all understood.
Fodder
You say you hate that I write about you.
You feel like fodder for my creativity.
If only you knew,
That I'm not all that creative.
And I have a bad tendency
To write what I feel
Even if it is unjustified
And untrue.
We fight when I write about other men.
Especially Him.
And you think that I still want him,
Or I'm cheating,
Or I'm still not over him.
And when he texts me late at night,
When I'm lying on the couch with you,
And I reply with some unwitty negative response,
You wish you were better fodder for my creativity.
1.
Dear Best Friend,
I will make no promises I cannot keep.
I cannot be the girls you've had.
I cannot be the girl you do have.
That is not my purpose.
But I will try not to be discouraged
By so many thoughts
Such as:
You are too in love with her.
You will never want me.
I can't make you happy.
2.
I refuse to tell you
Just how much
Pain I go through
When you say
"I love her."
This isn't a game.
Not some slow seduction,
Or flirtatious banter.
We're a little too
Grown up
For that.
3.
I am not soft
As she is.
I am not effeminate
But I am
A girl.
And even though I often wax poetic,
You are every poem I've kept in my head.
And even though I'm a show off,
You are everything that's too good to be mine.
You know I think
Love=Bullshit.
But I think I might
Bullshit you.
Build
They frowned when they said it,
Soft, gently.
You weren't built for babies.
I gave them what they wanted.
A silent sob
A heartless thanks.
I asked no questions,
And left.
They frowned when they heard it.
The end of the family line.
I wasn't built for babies.
They took what they needed,
My shoulder,
A pamphlet
All the comfort I could give,
I frowned when I thought of it.
What was I built for
If I wasn't built for babies?
I never knew the different builds.
Babies or sex or work or sickness.
God must've put me down
On the assembly bench
I cried when you said it.
In such hard words.
We can't have children.
You caressed me like I needed,
Loved me like I wanted.
But that is not enough,
For you or I.
So you left.
Publication
Merideth's poems have been published in the NECC literary Magazine, Parnassus.
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Essays
&
Articles
G et Yo ur D a y ley
D o s e of Heaven
For most students at Berklee College of Music, a talented classmate is nothing to get excited about. However, it is hard not to get excited about singer/songwriter Dayley Duran. From her genuine lyrics, original melodies, and diverse style, you can see she is gifted. With a variety of influences like Ella Fitzgerald and The Kooks, she incorporates her own original style into her music. The understated guitar in songs like Annie's Song is a perfect match for her smooth, rich voice. Songs like the short Electroclassical or the unexpected Al Schlosha D'Varim demonstrate the Colorado native's ability to to deviate from what is expected and jump genres in a way that seems effortless and natural. Anyone who listens to the songs on her myspace, or watches her Youtube video for the song Heaven can see that her lyrics are heartfelt.
None of her music is currently available for purchase, she is still writing her first album, which is sure to be well worth the wait. Working on an album and going to school can be a lot of work. Especially when you are double majoring in Music/Business Management and Contemporary Writing and Production. But the college freshman accomplishes both with a positive attitude and friendly demeanor, all the while making jokes about spending her Friday nights in the Berklee practice rooms. Trying to make a name for yourself in a city like Boston can be hard, but there is very little doubt Dayley will pull it off.
Dayley Duran performing live.
Boston Gets Bloody
It has been over a month since Italian electro duo The Bloody Beetroots savagely attacked Bill's Bar but I can remember it like I remember last night's bad microwave dinner.
It was 9:30 pm and some no-name, not particularly good band was already on stage. I was at the door, bargaining with the bouncers to get my friends and I in. "We're at capacity." It's a bull line.
After finally getting into the tiny one room club, mooching five dollars off a friend, exploring the ladies bathroom, and making friends with two drunk girls, I was ready for a show. The same crappy band played a few more songs and another awful band came on. Their set seemed to take forever and the anticipation of seeing the Beetroots was starting to wear off. I heard my friends lament the wait as we cracked glowsticks at the bar.
By the time the set break came, we were all pretty bored. We'd given out a lot of glowsticks, taken pictures with the crew fromThe Night Society, and made friends with the bar's staff. We even got to meet Eric Marcelino a.k.a. E-Marce, one of the night's DJs. Mike Tran, the MC and co-founder of The Night Society, took the stage and finally the show began to get good.
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First up was Barrett Richards, a Philadelphia native who goes by the stage name B. Rich. He was high energy and his beats had the infectious hypnotic quality one hopes for in house music. Next was E-Marce. Walking on stage with a mullet and a leather jacket, I didn't expect much. He was a nice guy, but I had my doubts. The former art student proved me wrong and put on a great show. Towards the end of his set he was joined on stage by The Bloody Beetroots themselves.
The first time you see the Beetroots on stage you are amazed. They perform wearing silver and black cloth spiderman masks and have just as much energy and love for the music as any member of the crowd. At this particular performance they brought on stage a bottle of neon green imported liquor which they drank and poured into the mouths of thirsty fans. Often compared to my favorite electronica group, Justice, I can see why the album Cornelius was one of iTunes top 100 international downloads after it's release. The group played remixes of songs like Sex on Fire by Kings of Leon as well as their own original songs. Making our way to the front of the dance floor, we got one of the best views. These men are not the "push a button and hear the pretty beat" DJs. They worked harder than almost any other act I've had the pleasure of seeing! And when the show ended at one a.m., the horde of Beetroots followers began chanting "WE LOVE THE BLOODY BEETROOTS!" and when the bouncers began forcing people off stage the cheer became "F*** Bill's Bar!" We hung around near the front of the stage just long enough for the bouncers to tell us not so kindly to leave. Making our way out we talked to the bartenders, photographers, and more bouncers. All of them seemed impressed by the show and the crowd. One bartender even went so far as to say that it was the best performance the bar would have before it shut its doors. I completely agree. Unfortunately, The band has as of yet released no plans to come back to the states before next year.
Get Your Dayley Dose of Heaven was published April 14, 2009 Examiner.com
Boston Gets Bloody was published May 25, 2009 Examiner.com
Fiction
Fiction pages will be coming soon. Thank you for your patience.
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