The Holston Renny Massey has been writing music for five years and has occasionally turned to writing poetry to inspire his music. He wrote “Where I Once Was” on top of Backbone Rock in Damascus, VA during his first semester at King as a freshman. He was there to get away from the new, overwhelming college life for a few hours, and he wrote this piece to put his coping process into words. WHERE I ONCE WAS There are rivers and streams flowing below me. It feels like I won’t drown anymore from way up here. There’s a cool breeze blowing over my body, as I sit here, on the edge. The feeling of the mosquitoes landing on my skin— It’s much less bothersome than it would usually be, because my skin isn’t mine right now. It belongs to someone else, who I watch from the other side of the guardrail. I empathize with him and tell him, “Everything is going to be okay.” His skin is mine again, and I brush the mosquitoes off of it. His legs are mine again, and I use them to climb back over the rail. His feet are mine again, and I use them to walk down the rocky staircase. His lungs are mine again, and I use them to capture the cool night breeze. His hands are mine again, and I use them to put the key into the ignition. His eyes are mine again, and I use them to look back up at the place I once was.
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