week four

a smile i used to hide behind,
now real...
a home i thought i'd never know,
now found...
a true love i used to dream about,
now mine...
this is how contentment feels.

week three

they say im a lot like you...
mother and daughter
our distinctive laughs
kind, sparkling eyes
how we see the world as artists
and cry at Hallmark commercials
we share a love of writing and photography
and treasure our hope for the future
we dream and remember in detail
and like a clean kitchen before bed
we love fiercely and try to push away our hurts
we miss each other, talk every day
and love each other with our whole elbows.

they say im a lot like you...
i say "thanks"

week two

it hurts
how dreary contests lie
sweet victory
what farce braves your coast this morn?
what say you?
to a half-lit room
& a cosmopolitan haze
(REJOICE)
we say -- then die
disturbed by half truths
& whole truths
that are no better --
what you've gained
will never fill the void
of what you've given up.
salty tears slide toward her all but silenced lips
as she watches hearts break
from the inside out & back again.
porch swings hang
in a loneliness i recognize all too well;
i am doubtful of my courage.
when walls
(& white picket fences)
we build
are somehow still not tall enough
to hold out hurt
its as if all we have left to do
is rest upon
our elbows.

week one

stunted by my own creativity
i cling to concept
rather than reality
i am aware of the greatness of my dreams
but frozen by their power
today i bravely move forward...
to dig deep
deeper than ever before
to learn of light & shadow
to capture & portray
self & other selves
& then it all~
preserved in 4x6

52 weeks

hi. i'm shaina longstreet. i'm a 23 year old wife, daughter, sister, and friend. i'm addicted to coffee, photography, and all things paper. i dream big, live simply, and celebrate the everyday.

today is january 1st, 2010, marking the start of my new endeavor... 52 weeks of self-portraits and poetry. a journey of self discovery.

soon you will find here a collection of images inspired by life...its struggles, its beauty, is essence.

i hope you will share this journey with me.

welcome.