Holy

This is my last week of teaching creative writing. It's been a good run. Recently, I asked my students to write about writing. Some quotes:

"...writing, to me, is a way of expressing my dreams or fantasies...the holy release of the mind's true character..it allows my imagination to explore the unknown...It's like searching for ideas in a dark room where you can't see and randomly bumping into an idea to talk about...I am looking for warm in the cushions of beat-up couches on porches / I am listening for my mother's voice / in the creaks and cracks of the tired hallways / I am searching for love in the old man's tears, / who says, "Where do you get all this crap, baby? ... Writing is a spontaneous expression inspired by many things...it helps show me myself & my pursuit of happiness...I struggle writing this sentence just as I struggle with my writing...Writing is endless...a challenge I face...my attempt at true honesty...Writing is a way to share my raw thoughts with others before they come out of my mouth sugarcoated & safe...(it's) one of the hardest things to get perfect...writing is a physical form of emotion...I need fresh air and a definite struggle of emotion within me to create anything...writing can be so honest that it doesn't make sense...(it's) difficult to put into words...I like what I create to be a reflection of me, who I am, & what I stand for...writing is like allowing a caged bird to fly freely....(it) allows me to give life and character to certain emotions and feelings that are bottled up inside of me...(it's) what I want to do when I want to punch something, when something - a feeling, idea, or a story needs to escape...I can't help but think that what I have to say has been said better before...to me, the writing process is frustrating, confusing, and I often don't know where to draw lines or whether there should be lines at all...ending is the hardest part, because you never fully get to express what you mean, due to numerous factors: a lack of words, it's indescribable, or maybe you're just too embarrassed to say what you want - this is sad. I write stories, poems, songs, even, all day long: Lines that will never meet paper, but exist only for that moment in my mind...a catharsis, a baptism, a confession / every word bringing you closer to salvation / but I haven't reached Heaven or attained Nirvana / so I guess I'm not done yet."