What We Love - Mr. Harris’ Third Period Theater Class, Breathitt High School with Pauletta Hansel

What We Love

by Mr. Harris’ Third Period Theater Class, Breathitt High School with Pauletta Hansel

 I love love. 

Love is all I got. 

I love my cat, her pink toe beans and her tiny teeth. 

I love my rabbit, for which it is so soft. 

There are many things I love. 

I love my parents and the roof they put over my head. 

I love my friends, all giggly and funny, 

just talking about the future after school  

or about pointless topics. 

I know it is not unrequited love,  

for they make it known. 

I love the experiences I have with them, 

the lessons I learn from them. 

What I love isn’t easy to say. 

Love doesn’t simply go away,  

just changes in perspective. 

I love the way he cares for his friends.  

If they ever need them he is there. 

Hand in hand we walk through this world. 

I love this feeling. 

I’m a simple man: I love potatoes. 

That is all I love. 

I love a world that comes into existence  

when you press a button: 2-D, 3-D!  

It may not be the same, but in this world I would like to remain. 

Even though I say I love nothing, I love everything. 

I love raisins, 

the voices in my head, 

how the cold weather touches my skin. 

Yet at times my heart is filled with despair. 

It confuses me. 

Theater is a passion, my forever love.  

I’ll never forget the moments from Beauty and the Beast and Little Shop.  

I’m free to be me, crazy as a bat. 

I love being alone to practice my craft, 

the pen in my hand  

as my messy scribbles turn to masterpieces. 

I love myself  

for never letting anyone tear me down  

and for believing in myself. 

I love myself; I love my emotions and my own love. 

There is no one like me and that’s why I’m amazing. 

I love every aspect of all of these things—the good and the bad. 

So if you are confused about yourself and life,  

one word: 

Love.  

Today’s question is a simple one, though your answer may be complex: What do you love? 

By Mr. Harris’ Third Period Theater Class, Breathitt High School (With Pauletta Hansel, “Our Breathitt” artist)  

This column is brought to you by Our Breathitt, a community arts and health experience bringing together artists and Breathitt Countians from across Kentucky. Project is organized with IDEAS xLab (an artist-led nonprofit), and supported by the National Endowment for the Arts. Starting in August 2019, five collaborating writers, each with their own perspectives and ties to the county, will offer weekly columns and audio stories for radio and podcasts. Contact us at 859-397-1317 to join this conversation by leaving a voicemail with your response to the questions we raise and adding thoughts of your own! You may hear your responses incorporated into future posts and narratives! You can also email at ourbreathitt@gmail.com. We hope you will mark your calendars and join us at the Our Breathitt Summit, October 11-12 in Jackson, Kentucky. Information at www.ideasxlab.com/ourbreathitt.