creative writing – Page 12 – adventures of a typical high school student

California Summer – Poem by Me

July 18, 2020July 10, 2020BrookeLeave a comment

Come visit me for the summer, and see what
the California heat's all about. I'll tell you I don't
understand it myself; I consider myself an observer.
Growing up here isn't really a choice (just like

anywhere else) even if some people would choose
it again. I, too, dream of beaches and cities, but I
don't visit them. I'd rather pretend I'm a tourist
like everyone else and contemplate what's out there.

I dream of something different. Maybe you will too.

I hope you enjoyed this poem! It goes with the poem I posted yesterday– my views on my home are definitely not glowing, but I definitely can see the appeal for people who’ve never visited, and I understand that lots of people love it. Please feel free to leave feedback and writing challenges in the comments. Stay safe and healthy out there.

Brooke

Ode to the Clouds – Poem by Me

July 17, 2020July 10, 2020BrookeLeave a comment

i miss the clouds when they're not in front of the
sun. they make blue brighter, they bring excitement

to the tame California skies. everyone else thinks i'm
crazy for loving the rain; i guess that's why they live

in a sunny place and i want to leave it. please bring
the summer rain, the hot rain, the humidity-- anything

even though it is not winter. i want to feel it on my skin
before the seasons change again.

This is a super short poem, but I wanted to write something short and sweet about my feelings surrounding the current weather. I can appreciate the sun when I’m at the beach or swimming, but I honestly miss the cold weather. It stays hot for too long (in my opinion)! Please feel free to leave feedback or writing challenges in the comments. Stay safe and healthy out there.

Brooke

Stargazing – Poem by Me

July 16, 2020July 3, 2020BrookeLeave a comment

we look up at the stars, like any other Friday night
something feels different- maybe it's the dizziness from
being up so high from this lookout point, maybe it's the 
dazzling lights of the city down below. who thought

our suburban town shined so brightly in the nighttime
hours. you don't speak, and neither do i. we might as 
well be strangers, just looking at the sky and letting
life happen to us, two separate narrative unfolding right

here, by the beat-up dirt path and your beat-up car while
we wear beat-up clothes and beat ourselves up in our
heads about how things just aren't the same anymore
and we don't know what we did to ruin them or more 

importantly, how to fix them

I hope you enjoyed this piece! I really want to go stargazing at a lookout point sometime this summer; I know there’s probably tons of them in southern California where I live, but I’ve actually never been to one. Please feel free to share feedback or writing challenges in the comments of this post. Stay safe and healthy out there.

Brooke

When The Crows Migrate Back – Poem by Me

July 15, 2020July 3, 2020BrookeLeave a comment

a flock of birds, blacker than the night
divebombing us as we walk. it's eighty degrees,

past eight o'clock, unusually warm as of late.
the crows always come back this time of year,

although i'm not sure where they disappear to
in those few months between the start of springtime

and now. i know, i know-- maybe i should just
do my research on bird migration patterns.

but i'm not fond of these birds, and how they
defecate on my mother's car so often. i only wish

to know how to make them leave for good. it's 
startling when they land right in front of my

window, and my rapping on the glass doesn't
faze them or set them off flying. maybe the crows

are just here to taunt me

I hope you enjoyed this piece! My neighborhood has a huge problem with crows around dusk about eight months of the year, and they love to poop on cars and windows during the day as well. It’s actually very odd, because the neighborhoods next to ours don’t even see them/have them come there. Please let me know if you have any feedback or writing challenges to share in the comments. Stay safe and healthy out there.

Brooke

A Not-So-Superficial Change – Poem by Me

July 14, 2020July 3, 2020BrookeLeave a comment

her hair tickled her shoulder, sharp
and blunt-cut like stray pieces of 
dewy grass mowed down on a Sunday
morning. it brought seriousness to her

baby face, the apple-round chin becoming
triangular with a second glance. she
felt bold, ready to walk through hot coals
and prove her newfound power, wield

it like a sword.

I hope you enjoyed this super short piece! I wrote a couple short little scenes and used them for inspiration for the last few (short) poems on here– if you prefer longer poems, don’t worry! I’ll have some posted soon. Please feel free to share feedback or writing challenges in the comments. Stay safe and healthy out there.

Brooke

Boxed In – Poem by Me

July 13, 2020July 3, 2020BrookeLeave a comment

a square we're all trapped in
prisoners and officers of our own jails

optional but it's for the best so we keep
ourselves two-dimensional in these little

black and grey boxes online and look
at the outside world from our windows with

light streaming in to remind us what we're 
missing. more boxes: we can't stop putting

ourself in boxes and finding more boxes
to put ourselves in.

I hope you enjoyed this quick little poem! It sums up my feelings about Zoom and missing in person interaction right now. My family has reverted to being extra cautious about leaving the house again now that California is having a second wave. Please feel free to share feedback and/or writing challenges in the comments! Stay safe and healthy out there.

Brooke

Wandering in the Park – Poem by Me

July 12, 2020July 3, 2020BrookeLeave a comment

a cold park bench in the dead heat of July;
a rarity yet i wish there was someone beside

me to bring warmth back into my body
it's lonelier to be lonely in the summer

i feel like a china doll collecting dust as i sit
waiting for something that's not coming

so i walk around, take the long path by the
thick dewy grass that hasn't been mowed in 

weeks, and listen to your voice calling me 
in my mind

This was a super short piece, but I hope you still enjoyed it! I honestly stopped going to the park by myself since it’s a lot nicer to walk around with friends and family… I know it’s completely acceptable to go places by yourself, but quarantine loneliness is getting to me. Please let me know if you have any feedback on this piece or writing challenges you’d like me to share. Stay safe and healthy out there.

Brooke

A Gift – Poem by Me

July 11, 2020July 2, 2020BrookeLeave a comment

sun shining through the shutters, the world
smiles down on you today. the scent of bacon
and toast wafts up the stairs, but you only have
eyes for the big, gold box that's been in your

room untouched for weeks. open me! the sparkly
scarlet gift tag reads. and so you do, tearing the
paper off a box, the satisfying noise slicing 
through the humid air. to your disappointment, 

the box is empty. but the doorbell is ringing and 
you have to go answer it. could it be? the person
you've been missing for so many hours, so many
sleepless nights....

I hope you enjoyed this poem! It was definitely a cheesy one, but I tried to remove the cliché reunion ending, so that’s up to your interpretation. Please let me know if you have any feedback on this piece or any writing challenges you’d like me to try in the near future. Stay safe and healthy out there.

Brooke

Poems I’ve Read Recently That You Should Too

July 10, 2020July 2, 2020BrookeLeave a comment

Hello everyone!

Today I’m going to be sharing some poems I’ve recently read and enjoyed. All of them are works I’ve discussed in my writing workshop last week, since that’s what I’ve been doing this entire week. It’s been an amazing experience and you can definitely expect a whole separate post on that sometime soon. If you’re interested in reading some awesome poems and possibly discovering new poets, keep on reading!

Fast Gas by Dorianne Laux – An interesting twist on a love poem, and one you need to read at least twice to get the full effect.
Wife by Ada Limón – Another love poem. This one’s powerful but a little heavier in terms of the feelings surrounding the love.
Gold by Donald Hall – I absolutely love the images in the very beginning of this poem. It’s a short one, and another love poem (I took a mini-class on love poems so that’s why there’s a few to start this off)
If I Should Die Tomorrow, Please Note That I Will Miss the Particular by Chen Chen – This has a stronger tinge of sadness, but overall still a heartwarming love poem. It has a lot more concrete details.
What Kind of Times Are These by Adrienne Rich – This took me quite a few reads and other people’s perspectives in discussion to fully unpack. I’m still not the best at interpreting poetry, but this poem is still beautiful and definitely worth a read.
A Louder Thing by Tiana Clark – An important read. Clear and cuts straight to the point, but still has surprising metaphors.
Curly, My Tangler by Jessica Jacobs – This is a super sweet poem and I absolutely love the imagery.
Failing and Flying by Jack Gilbert – I love the way this poem flows. It intertwines the speaker’s personal story with the myth of Icarus and shifts our perspective on Icarus’ downfall.
Feet by Ross Gay – The momentum in this poem is so interesting. From beginning to end there’s so many different emotions and ideas presented.
Autobiography of Eve by Ansel Elkins – This offers such a powerful, feminist twist of the story of Eve in persona. I loved it, and it’s short and sweet as well.
How Can Black People Write About Flowers At a Time Like This by Hanif Abdurraqib – This is super relevant to the times, and I love how the author takes the image of flowers and uses them in an unexpected way.
Infinity Ghazal Beginning with Lice and Never Ending With Lies – by Tarfia Faizullah – I didn’t know what a ghazal was before reading this poem, but it’s a really interesting type of poem and this one is so intriguing and beautiful. I’ve read it quite a few times since.
not an elegy for Mike Brown by Danez Smith – The references to Greek mythology in this piece is quite unexpected, and overall it has an important message that’s stated quite eloquently and beautifully.

I hope you’re inspired to check out some of these poems! It’s been such an amazing experience to take part in a writing workshop and get exposed to so many different authors and types of poetry. Please let me know if you have any favorite poets or poems you think I should check out. Stay safe and healthy out there.

Brooke

Happy Place(s) – Poem by Me

July 9, 2020June 26, 2020Brooke4 Comments

where is your happy place
       not the one out in the world, the one in your head

do you imagine beaches, forests, mountains
       or something else altogether in that little space

that no one else can invade, the place safe 
       from everyone in the world, including yourself 

or do you imagine something different,
       something secret, not to be described in words on the page

i wish i could show you mine
       through a window to my thoughts

but instead i will let you wonder where
       it is, and try to let your mind take you there yourself

I hope you enjoyed this piece! It’s interesting to reflect on what your happy place really is, or at least what you think it is/the idea of it. Please let me know if you have any feedback or writing challenges you’d like to share. Stay safe and healthy out there!

Brooke