The great black bird hit the window and she nearly jumped out of her skin-suit, becoming a skeleton. In the calmed aftermath she stared at the dead bird on the windowsill and thought what it would be like to be a skeleton–she could walk around the world, would everyone stare at her? Would they ask her where her organs had gone and why she had taken off her skin? Could she give them a straight answer?
Jon
so many things people said today has shaken me up.
it’s not like the surprising slam of a door,
or a wind that knocks you off your feet,
it’s just a heart wrenching,
stomach clenching,
panic grabbing
feeling that paralyzes my entire body for a few minutes at a time.
I recover,
but those few minutes feel like I’m trapped in a block of ice that will never melt
where everything is out of my control
nothing can be changed
and no one can be helped.
lena
The teapot fell from my hands. It shattered but I didn’t hear it. I was too startled-that your lips were touching mine, that your arms were wrapped around me. I was startled that you were here at all.
I am vietnamese. I don’t know what startled mean. Blah blah blah. Not sure if 60 seconds passed. … Bla bla bla.
loc
I was startled that it had come to this. I was sitting in a car, somewhere in the mountains, with the girl who was currently the one of my dreams, talking about relationships. Not like past relationships or anything, but what we look for. When does that ever happen? Getting dating advice from the very person you want to date.
She was startled awake by the loud crash outside her door. She lay still for a few moments, listening, her heart pounding in her chest. Every so slowly, she pulled the blankets back with shaking fingers. Her door seemed a thousand miles away as she crept towards it.
Startled
I feel it all the time
Everywhere
Passing by someone
Running through the park in the morning breeze
In my apartment in the middle of the night
I shouldn’t feel this
I do though
Help me
Kendra
I was startled by a little bird, nothing ferocious. Not a bear, nor bomb. Just a fragile little bird-And my heart was startled into a million pieces-as I beheld its broken body, twisted on the dirt, struggling to chirp for its mother in a tree somewhere above us.
Andrea
I always feel startled when you’re near
I shake and cry
When I remember what happened that night
You pretend nothing happened
We both damn know something happened
When you came up behind me
I was startled
You said it was okay
Was it really?
Kendra
i had listened listened to your music
you know
the kind that’s yours
that i so want to make mine
(but i never will)
finding a song i liked
i could never find it again
i found it by mistake
and i was startled
startled because it was mine now
but it was as much as mine as the night controls the sun
and we all know its not really mine
it’s yours
I am startled. I can’t help but put that word first. Well, third. I struggle not to cliche–is that even a verb? And I continually revise the sentence, what grammatical construction should that question be in? I second guess and second guess. Am I even allowed to freely do anything or is the negativity of my neural pathways gaining strength and solidity–like the dark side taking root in my mind. How much longer? Am I even ready? This is getting far too meta and far too out of hand. In fact, I shouldn’t even be using the phrase “far too”. Rules and rules, I only hold myself back. Same old story of my life. Same old–
Genevieve
The shining of the light startled her, causing her to jump and bite back a squeal. She couldn’t let them find her here. That would be a disaster.
Chase Sutter
I was startled when I walked into my apartment after work today: it was as if a skunk had decided to spend the afternoon at my place. If the hairs in my nose could have withered, they would have. What in the WORLD is that stench?!
He doesn’t like people sneaking up on him. In return, he doesn’t sneak up on other people by accident. His steps are loud, echoing through the room, announcing his presence emphatically.
Oh god. Oh. Okay. This is quite stressful. Um don’t know where to start with startled. I can’t stop thinking of Bambi…
Jessa
His touch on my back startled me, and I jumped.
“Ah!” I yelped.
He laughed, grinning down at me, “You’re very jumpy today.”
I scowled at him, “And I have a good reason to be. An assassin was in the palace last week, you could have been anybody.”
Did you ever record your thoughts on paper
did you ever cry because of the grass
and how green it is
and the fact that it is even green at all
and did you
ever think
that i would be here
i don’t think you did
because you look startled
eartha
what could startle the broken man? would it matter that he was startled? would anything change? i doubt it. i never believed the truly broken could be fixed, until the broken man was startled by his miraculous recovery.
vince
I’ve been not so startled that distance is taking the same toll as it did last time.
They say that distance makes the heart grow fonder? Creates longing?
I’ve found it the opposite… I’m growing more distance. I see more differences arise every day. And the only thing that will startle me now is if we manage to drag this on much longer.
I was so startled when the monster came flying out of my bed to play checkers with me. Many would be terrified, but Im all “Hey lets be friends” then he ate my hand. It was a bad night.
Gabby Samelak
I was startled to hear that the Pope has resigned. I was startled to hear that it is snowing in Amarillo (Amarillo esta blanco!)
Sheila
startled by the silence of it all by the immediate understanding that something had changed that the world was suddenly turning at a normal pace again life was continuing and i was finally a part of it. i was so startled to begin again.
He’d been pretty difficult to startle in the first place, but after being around someone for a few decades, let alone a few centuries, there was only so much you could remain unaccustomed to.
Looking down from above, watching Astor’s tortured eyes as he held the wooden stake in his shaking hands. That was the first time in centuries Tobias could say with confidence that he had been well and truly startled.
You were surprised when I told you my name,
A half-smile inching across the
planes of your face.
You chuckled,
Almost laughed,
And when I asked you what was so funny,
You said:
“That’s my name, too.”
I was startled once. But i guess everybody has. Like how when your friends and family sneak up on you to be funny? ha-ha, right? But what if one day I broke down and cried… who would be startled more, then? Me or them?
Jonnea Herman
Had I startled you? I moved closer, the space between us grew smaller. We kissed and kissed and kissed. I was startled by how easy it was. You will always do that to me, you know.
you startled me when you moved away; i had obviously startled you. your kiss felt so obligatory, the whole time i loved it but it wasnt true and i know that the entire time. but i did it anyway. my eagerness startles me.
mawlee
I don’t really know why I was startled at all
this is what you are
this is what you do
you don’t love me enough
you leave
again
and
again
like it is a clever game you have made
do you think that it is funny
do you startle yourself
I am so calm each time you say the words and go
he was startled when he looked at her. her eyes were shining and round, the largest hed ever seen. even worse, they werent looking at him. they examined the room, scanned everything, almost robotic.but they never once fell on him. they never would again.
molly begg
I’m so easily startled. Everything makes me jump. But, lately, even things that never made me jump before. A lot of things in crowds make me jump. I don’t like crowds anymore. I never really did, but after last Halloween, it’s gotten even worst. Everything in crowds startle me. I just want it to stop.
I was extremely started when he told me that he loved me. I didn’t know what to do or what to say. So I sat there, I sat there and stared at those three words glaring back at me through the screen – “I LOVE YOU”. What was I supposed to say to that?
i was surprised. startled. I had no idea what was happening, only that suddenly this strange man was running towards me, screaming for me to run, too. I wasn’t sure if I could trust him, but I started to take a few hops backwards, then turned and ran as fast as I could. If I wasn’t outrunning the man, I would outrun what he was running from.
Turning around i stifled my startled gasp as i saw what had become of my dear friend. His face was marred with scars, his eyes darkened to an obscure black with his hair long and tangled. I reached out to touch him, but atlas, he was beyond reach.
if you walked I here today, I wouldn’t be startled.
I have been waiting for you for a long time.
Robin
The last time I was truly startled was in 7th grade, when one of my best friends screwed me over, she ruined my year, and changed my perspective of her and all of the friends that used to be mine. That one day when what she said was unreal to my mind, changed me forever.
Shock sets in fast and the body is unable to move. Some may scream out in fear while others may stop and stare. Everyone reacts differently and it is hard to guess what one may do. Movies, robbers, and surprises anything can startle you.
The great black bird hit the window and she nearly jumped out of her skin-suit, becoming a skeleton. In the calmed aftermath she stared at the dead bird on the windowsill and thought what it would be like to be a skeleton–she could walk around the world, would everyone stare at her? Would they ask her where her organs had gone and why she had taken off her skin? Could she give them a straight answer?
so many things people said today has shaken me up.
it’s not like the surprising slam of a door,
or a wind that knocks you off your feet,
it’s just a heart wrenching,
stomach clenching,
panic grabbing
feeling that paralyzes my entire body for a few minutes at a time.
I recover,
but those few minutes feel like I’m trapped in a block of ice that will never melt
where everything is out of my control
nothing can be changed
and no one can be helped.
The teapot fell from my hands. It shattered but I didn’t hear it. I was too startled-that your lips were touching mine, that your arms were wrapped around me. I was startled that you were here at all.
I am vietnamese. I don’t know what startled mean. Blah blah blah. Not sure if 60 seconds passed. … Bla bla bla.
I was startled that it had come to this. I was sitting in a car, somewhere in the mountains, with the girl who was currently the one of my dreams, talking about relationships. Not like past relationships or anything, but what we look for. When does that ever happen? Getting dating advice from the very person you want to date.
She was startled awake by the loud crash outside her door. She lay still for a few moments, listening, her heart pounding in her chest. Every so slowly, she pulled the blankets back with shaking fingers. Her door seemed a thousand miles away as she crept towards it.
Startled
I feel it all the time
Everywhere
Passing by someone
Running through the park in the morning breeze
In my apartment in the middle of the night
I shouldn’t feel this
I do though
Help me
I was startled by a little bird, nothing ferocious. Not a bear, nor bomb. Just a fragile little bird-And my heart was startled into a million pieces-as I beheld its broken body, twisted on the dirt, struggling to chirp for its mother in a tree somewhere above us.
I always feel startled when you’re near
I shake and cry
When I remember what happened that night
You pretend nothing happened
We both damn know something happened
When you came up behind me
I was startled
You said it was okay
Was it really?
i had listened listened to your music
you know
the kind that’s yours
that i so want to make mine
(but i never will)
finding a song i liked
i could never find it again
i found it by mistake
and i was startled
startled because it was mine now
but it was as much as mine as the night controls the sun
and we all know its not really mine
it’s yours
He startled the stars with his stunning smiles.
I am startled. I can’t help but put that word first. Well, third. I struggle not to cliche–is that even a verb? And I continually revise the sentence, what grammatical construction should that question be in? I second guess and second guess. Am I even allowed to freely do anything or is the negativity of my neural pathways gaining strength and solidity–like the dark side taking root in my mind. How much longer? Am I even ready? This is getting far too meta and far too out of hand. In fact, I shouldn’t even be using the phrase “far too”. Rules and rules, I only hold myself back. Same old story of my life. Same old–
The shining of the light startled her, causing her to jump and bite back a squeal. She couldn’t let them find her here. That would be a disaster.
I was startled when I walked into my apartment after work today: it was as if a skunk had decided to spend the afternoon at my place. If the hairs in my nose could have withered, they would have. What in the WORLD is that stench?!
He doesn’t like people sneaking up on him. In return, he doesn’t sneak up on other people by accident. His steps are loud, echoing through the room, announcing his presence emphatically.
Oh god. Oh. Okay. This is quite stressful. Um don’t know where to start with startled. I can’t stop thinking of Bambi…
His touch on my back startled me, and I jumped.
“Ah!” I yelped.
He laughed, grinning down at me, “You’re very jumpy today.”
I scowled at him, “And I have a good reason to be. An assassin was in the palace last week, you could have been anybody.”
Did you ever record your thoughts on paper
did you ever cry because of the grass
and how green it is
and the fact that it is even green at all
and did you
ever think
that i would be here
i don’t think you did
because you look startled
what could startle the broken man? would it matter that he was startled? would anything change? i doubt it. i never believed the truly broken could be fixed, until the broken man was startled by his miraculous recovery.
I’ve been not so startled that distance is taking the same toll as it did last time.
They say that distance makes the heart grow fonder? Creates longing?
I’ve found it the opposite… I’m growing more distance. I see more differences arise every day. And the only thing that will startle me now is if we manage to drag this on much longer.
I was so startled when the monster came flying out of my bed to play checkers with me. Many would be terrified, but Im all “Hey lets be friends” then he ate my hand. It was a bad night.
I was startled to hear that the Pope has resigned. I was startled to hear that it is snowing in Amarillo (Amarillo esta blanco!)
startled by the silence of it all by the immediate understanding that something had changed that the world was suddenly turning at a normal pace again life was continuing and i was finally a part of it. i was so startled to begin again.
Tobias didn’t tend to get startled anymore.
He’d been pretty difficult to startle in the first place, but after being around someone for a few decades, let alone a few centuries, there was only so much you could remain unaccustomed to.
Looking down from above, watching Astor’s tortured eyes as he held the wooden stake in his shaking hands. That was the first time in centuries Tobias could say with confidence that he had been well and truly startled.
I never began but I was startled by the speed of it I needed more time to think didnt I.
Sometimes thoughts click in such a way
I wish I could be startled like that all the time
Ill finish with this to be startled is to realize your mortality in a split second
You were surprised when I told you my name,
A half-smile inching across the
planes of your face.
You chuckled,
Almost laughed,
And when I asked you what was so funny,
You said:
“That’s my name, too.”
I was startled once. But i guess everybody has. Like how when your friends and family sneak up on you to be funny? ha-ha, right? But what if one day I broke down and cried… who would be startled more, then? Me or them?
Had I startled you? I moved closer, the space between us grew smaller. We kissed and kissed and kissed. I was startled by how easy it was. You will always do that to me, you know.
you startled me when you moved away; i had obviously startled you. your kiss felt so obligatory, the whole time i loved it but it wasnt true and i know that the entire time. but i did it anyway. my eagerness startles me.
I don’t really know why I was startled at all
this is what you are
this is what you do
you don’t love me enough
you leave
again
and
again
like it is a clever game you have made
do you think that it is funny
do you startle yourself
I am so calm each time you say the words and go
he was startled when he looked at her. her eyes were shining and round, the largest hed ever seen. even worse, they werent looking at him. they examined the room, scanned everything, almost robotic.but they never once fell on him. they never would again.
I’m so easily startled. Everything makes me jump. But, lately, even things that never made me jump before. A lot of things in crowds make me jump. I don’t like crowds anymore. I never really did, but after last Halloween, it’s gotten even worst. Everything in crowds startle me. I just want it to stop.
“Choose a different place to sit!”
The scream startled passers-by. At least it would have done if they cared.
I was extremely started when he told me that he loved me. I didn’t know what to do or what to say. So I sat there, I sat there and stared at those three words glaring back at me through the screen – “I LOVE YOU”. What was I supposed to say to that?
Ah, you startled me there. But I’m used to it now.
i was surprised. startled. I had no idea what was happening, only that suddenly this strange man was running towards me, screaming for me to run, too. I wasn’t sure if I could trust him, but I started to take a few hops backwards, then turned and ran as fast as I could. If I wasn’t outrunning the man, I would outrun what he was running from.
Turning around i stifled my startled gasp as i saw what had become of my dear friend. His face was marred with scars, his eyes darkened to an obscure black with his hair long and tangled. I reached out to touch him, but atlas, he was beyond reach.
if you walked I here today, I wouldn’t be startled.
I have been waiting for you for a long time.
The last time I was truly startled was in 7th grade, when one of my best friends screwed me over, she ruined my year, and changed my perspective of her and all of the friends that used to be mine. That one day when what she said was unreal to my mind, changed me forever.
Shock sets in fast and the body is unable to move. Some may scream out in fear while others may stop and stare. Everyone reacts differently and it is hard to guess what one may do. Movies, robbers, and surprises anything can startle you.