creative writing

Taking Too Much – Poem by Me

Brooke3 Comments 
Are we just fooling ourselves, fooling
each other, or is this how we take

advantage? I want to know but I don't
want to ask, and that's a common theme

with you. I want to be the better person
but I don't want to do it myself-- 

does that mean you're the one taking
the high road? Am I holding even

more pieces of you hostage by asking
these questions and using precious

moments of your time? Too many questions,
and I'll only be taking more from you

if I ask them.

I hope you enjoyed this piece! Please feel free to leave feedback and writing challenges in the comments. Stay safe and healthy out there.

Brooke

Locked From the Inside – Poem by Me

BrookeLeave a comment 
Why did I trap myself here in this room
and why do I have the audacity to ask 
myself questions I already know 
the answers to? I tire of the tasks I force
myself to do, yet I could not live without
this stressful hum of the day's routine.
Please relieve me, please force me 
to do something different-- or don't,
because maybe this unhappiness is how
I find joy.

I hope you enjoyed this short piece! It’s kind of based on the idea that I (and many other people) tend to make things harder for myself. I’m extremely busy at the moment and have put a lot of pressure on myself to be doing so many things at once, yet I still never feel like I’m doing enough and attempt to add new things to my plate. So it goes! Please feel free to leave feedback and writing challenges in the comments. Stay safe and healthy out there.

Brooke

Silver Star – Poem by Me

BrookeLeave a comment 
This silver star won't explode on my
watch; she is deflated but not a quitter.
It hurts to not be considered as new and
shiny as the golden ones, but it has always
been that way. We shine different colors,
just like we cry uniquely shaped tears 
that trail down our faces in different
paths, until the worn wrinkles guide
them naturally.

I hope you enjoyed this short piece! It was actually inspired by a star balloon my friend got me for my birthday. It’s silver and lasted way longer before getting all deflated and droopy than the gold balloons my parents got me did. That being said, balloons are beautiful and fun in general, in a different way than stars. Feel free to leave feedback and writing challenges in the comments. Stay safe and healthy out there.

Brooke

P.S. I Still Think About You – Poem by Me

BrookeLeave a comment 
I write you letters in my head once
a year, maybe more, but the only
ones I actually send are to wish you
a happy birthday.

You always had more friends than me,
a more vibrant life (and I was amazed)
so I'm sure my words just blend into
the background.

It's easy to remember glimpses of 
good times: hours spent trying on sparkly
outfits in shopping malls, countless 
Goldfish crackers eaten during late-night
conversations on my trundle bed, 
belting out the lyrics to Taylor Swift 
songs, just to name a few.

It's harder to remember how we became
friends, and how we aren't friends 
anymore. 

Don't worry, I won't pick up the phone 
and ask.

I hope you guys enjoyed this piece! A lovely reader challenged me to write a poem to my ex-best friend. There’s honestly no hard feelings between me and the person who inspired this poem (honestly, a couple people did), just normal growing up and drifting apart happened. It often does work out like that. Please feel free to leave feedback and writing challenges in the comments. Stay safe and healthy out there.

Brooke

Closed Doors Never Open – Poem by Me

BrookeLeave a comment 
I know we like to play this game 
of who can slam more doors, 
who can do it louder and harder,
but don't you ever wish we could
stand together in an open doorway
and have a conversation about 
the weather? 
I've never tried to make this
a competition, but I can't stand
to lose and you never back down
from a challenge you've invented.
Maybe when the sun comes out
we'll go outside, no doors in sight.

I hope you enjoyed this piece! I’ve definitely experienced some tension in some of my personal relationships lately. Quarantine really gets to you and your family when you’re spending so much time together. Please feel free to leave feedback and writing challenges in the comments. Stay safe and healthy out there.

Brooke

Girl Melting – Poem by Me

BrookeLeave a comment 
Watch her melting on the sidewalk, 
her sweat mixing with skin as she

kneels on the concrete, cooling her
hands on the grass. The ice cream

truck comes through the neighborhood,
and the man offers her a popsicle.

The red, sticky sweetness drips 
onto her clothes and stains them.

Now blood is mixing with the sweat.

I hope you enjoyed this piece! I actually haven’t had a popsicle in forever, now that I think about it… maybe next summer. Please feel free to leave feedback and writing challenges in the comments. Stay safe and healthy out there.

Brooke

After the Party – Poem by Me

BrookeLeave a comment 
Candle wicks charred at the bottom
of the trash can, a cake missing a 

large chunk of its body put back
in the fridge, and balloons starting

to droop, no longer brushing against
the ceiling, but awkwardly bobbing

in the center of the room. 
If anyone brought flowers, they'll be

wilting in the morning. Remember how
you feel when you crawl into bed that night.

I hope you enjoyed this piece! It’s reminiscent of birthdays/holidays in general. No matter how good or bad a celebration is, there’s always a weird feeling hanging in the air towards the end of the day. Please feel free to leave feedback and writing challenges in the comments. Stay safe and healthy out there 🙂

Brooke

Take A Walk – Poem by Me

BrookeLeave a comment 
Over footprinted sand and through unmowed
grass, on top of cracked concrete and in the
middle of freshly paved streets, we keep on 
walking. 
If our feet grow tired and gnarled, we will
walk slower, but walk nonetheless.
Never stop moving-- it keeps you young.

I hope you enjoyed this piece! I find so much peace in my (almost) daily walks, and I think the message to always keep moving is an important one, both mentally and physically. Although some recent obstacles have come my way with remote learning and family issues, the reality is that everything will work out. It always does 🙂 Feel free to leave feedback and writing challenges in the comments. Stay safe and healthy out there.

Brooke

Wishing For Loneliness – Poem by Me

BrookeLeave a comment 
I wait for the day that there's no one 
in the passenger seat, when there's 

freedom in silence and going to the store
or to lunch to meet up with a friend,

but not an obligation to sit in the car
and make small talk, or pick the right

songs on the right playlist. These seats
are comfortable, the leather creased

and every adjustment made to the right
angle, but you can only sink in and 

fully enjoy it if you're alone, just for
a little while.

I hope you enjoyed this little piece! I’m writing this the night before my driving test, so wish me luck. Hopefully I can have this experience driving alone very soon 🙂 Please feel free to leave feedback and writing challenges in the comments. Stay safe and healthy out there.

Brooke

Another Last Time – Poem by Me

BrookeLeave a comment 
How many times are we going
to play this game? How many times
is life going to swing back around?
If only we knew, but I don't want
to know, because then it would be
clear when the last time will really come.
It's easy to say goodbye to the beach
and the pool and long days doing nothing
when you know they'll be back next 
year, but it's hard to say goodbye at all.

I hope you enjoy this poem! I can’t believe summer is over… even though quarantine’s been a long and crazy ride, the summer still flew by so quickly. Junior year, here I come 🙂 By the time you see this post, I’ll have already finished my second week of school! Please feel free to leave feedback and writing challenges in the comments. Stay safe and healthy out there.

Brooke