I’ll be honest, writing poetry is not something I’m all that good at. Poetry units in my English classes in school were never my favorite. And when it came time for me to write my own poems for assignments, although it felt I was writing them with my heart on my sleeve, my creations would be returned by the teacher marked up with criticism and a less than perfect grade.
I just never understood how such a beautiful and expressive art form could be so structured.
Nevertheless, in honor of National Poem in Your Pocket Day, on April 29, I’m going to share some poems I wrote years ago that I had stored in my pocket (aka my Google Drive from high school) and share them with the world.
Now, these poems aren’t perfect. While reading, you may cringe, you may cry, you may laugh, or you may be totally unfazed by my poetry writing abilities. Whatever you feel, I hope you enjoy my little attempt to be able to say I now have a few “published” poems!
A New Life*
Away from it all,
the simple days and relaxing nights,
the home cooked meals,
and the child-like frights.
On my own,
finding who I want to be,
experiencing everything new,
and discovering the true me.
Fresh out of school,
wondering what path to take,
where it will lead me,
and if it will make or break.
Living each day with hope,
working toward a cause,
knowing life can be hard,
but having fun and taking a pause.
*Written in 2015, when I was imagining life after college. Honestly, it’s scary how much I can relate to this now, and how much I still can’t imagine life after college even though I’ll be graduating in two and a half weeks (AAAAHHHHH!!).
A World Within a World*
The bus is quiet feeling quite bland,
Passengers sit with their head down,
Entranced in a world in the palm of their hand,
Our eyes never meet nor our voices heard,
They don’t seem to notice in their own little world,
Tapping and scrolling leaving real-life blurred.
Liking and commenting on trivial things,
Leaving me from their presence and welcome,
In silence I sit with their phones’ occasional dings.
How sad it is that we are not as we were before,
Sharing one world and seeing one another,
If only we could look up and notice so much more.
*Written in 2016, while remembering my experience being one of the only high schoolers who didn’t have a cell phone until they were 16.
Being Younger*
You think my thoughts and ideas are not developed,
That the lines of right and wrong are blurred,
And with your superiority of experience you place me far behind.
You say that it is only a phase,
An excuse for my existence,
But deep inside you cannot see that I am who I want to be.
For the person I am today may change with the passing years,
You think my mind will find its shape around more logical ideas,
But for now my thoughts are the product of a growing infant in your presence.
Living in a world where I have no say,
With people starving and dying and politicians on the loose,
You hardly ask my opinion on any major issue.
You are quick to judge,
Saying I live in my own world only thinking of myself,
Treating me as if I am clay that can be molded over and over.
You never trust in the person I am,
You treat me as an outsider amongst the eloquent society,
Only seeing me for my age and not the mind I have attained.
*Also written in 2016, and by far one of the angstiest things I’ve written. Don’t know why, but I blame Catholic school.
Blue*
Blue is the feeling of losing a friend,
Of saying goodbye to someone you love,
Of wishing for a better day.
Blue is the ocean that crashes the shore,
And clears the footprints of the past,
Leaving a blank canvas for the future.
Blue is the sky on a perfect summer day,
Where cares fly away like free birds,
And worries get lost in the breeze.
Blue is the robin’s egg that sits in the nest,
High in the treetops above the world,
Waiting for the day to finally soar.
Blue is a mixture of the light and the dark,
Pulling what it can from both sides,
And in its dark there is still light.
*Written by a senior in high school in 2016 who was just trying to look on the bright side of things and make a new meaning to the phrase “feeling blue.”
Slasher Movie Dream*
How I wish to be in a slasher movie, where my brains keep me alive.
Traveling with my group of friends to some remote location,
Where horrific stories have been told, and our screams cannot be heard.
We would laugh and sing along the way, unaware of the eyes on our backs,
Watching as we pass the old faded sign that warns us to turn back,
We set up camp during the night with no light but the fire’s flame.
Warm and snug in our tents, we hear the crack of a twig.
Someone goes to investigate with nothing but their curiosity.
All is clear and no one’s there, now time for deep sleep.
One by one my friends disappear and I am the sole survivor,
Alone to face the maniac in the mask responsible for the terror.
One fight and that’s all I have to prove that I am the victor.
If I fail this feat but make it out alive, no need to worry,
A sequel will repeat the battle in the same allotted time,
Where I may avoid the same mistakes and finally kill the beast.
But if he manages to escape and run away free,
As rare as it may seem,
There is always time for a trilogy.
*This one was actually written in 2018, while I was in college, but it has to be one of my favorite poems I’ve written. I think it captures slasher movie cliches quite nicely.
I hope you enjoyed this little collection of poems carefully curated for National Poem in Your Pocket Day. Hopefully, this inspired you to share some poems of your own with the world this April 29!