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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

Let’s Talk: How I Got Over My Fear of Zooms

Brooke4 Comments

Hello everyone!

Today I’m going to talk about a topic that might seem kind of silly. When remote learning was first introduced somewhat clumsily in the first stages of quarantine this spring, I was terrified of participating in class on my Zoom meetings, and I didn’t like having my video on. Hours and hours of time spent on Zooms later, I’m much more comfortable with the platform and in some situations (definitely not all) I almost prefer it to meeting with people in person. Keep on reading if you want to find out what changed my mind and how I got over this silly fear.

Spoiler alert: the main thing that helped me get over this weird fear was just being on more Zooms. My writing workshop was held completely virtually on Zoom, I attended a leadership seminar also run on Zoom, my meetings for various extracurricular activities ended up being hosted on Zoom, I had to run my own individual Zoom meetings when I volunteered to tutor elementary school students, I had tons of Zoom meetings when I started my internship in July and have now led/helped lead Zoom meetings with a decent amount of people on them through that same internship, and now, of course, I spend my full school day in Zoom classes.

Originally, I felt so conscious about having Zoom classes. Would people be judging my background? Was my audio quality bad, or was there going to be a bunch of background noise from my family that would embarrass me? The idea that my voice would reverberate through everyone else’s speakers if I decided to talk freaked me out. I feel like in an in-person class, people don’t really tune in to other people’s answers unless they’re really engaged in what’s going on.

I now realize Zoom class is basically the same in this way (there’s even more opportunities to tune out), but in my head I thought that everyone would be hyperfocused on me if my face popped up on the screen and started talking. You can’t have casual side conversations with peers or teachers in a Zoom room unless you’re in breakout rooms- either everyone’s listening to you or they’re not.

Being in breakout rooms and nudging myself to participate during my writing workshop led the groundwork for being more comfortable in virtual settings later on. My goal was to participate once per day in the large group sessions during my writing workshop, but we all participated a ton in our small groups. With this experience under my belt, I couldn’t help but feel like a Zoom expert in my other meetings during the summer, and I was one of the first people to speak in my leadership seminar groups in many situations.

I’m one of those people who is super shy but around other shy people can easily make myself more outgoing/extroverted to fit that role in the group, and having previous experience with Zoom/virtual meetings in general made me more confident to lead them and participate in them as I would if I were in person. If I can do it, you can too!

I hope you enjoyed hearing a little bit about my experience with this topic. Zoom is a key part of virtual learning, but it’s being used for so much more even outside of the education sphere right now, and I know it’s scary to some in the same way it was to me. Feel free to leave any feedback or your own personal experiences in the comments. Stay safe and healthy out there.

Brooke

Let’s Talk: Blogging During Quarantine

BrookeLeave a comment

Hello everyone!

I wanted to talk a little bit about my current blogging goals and how my blog has changed since quarantine, as well as blogging in general. I know a lot of people have started blogs and other digital projects during quarantine, and lots more people have been consuming more digital content as usual, whether that’s Netflix and YouTube videos or blog articles. If you’re interesting in hearing more on my perspective regarding blogging during quarantine, keep on reading!

First off, I’m just going to say that it’s been difficult to come up with fresh ideas to blog about during this time. I don’t want to focus too much on the actual issues at hand since everyone’s already aware of them and I don’t have any personal stories to bring to the table, but there’s also not as much activity in my life outside of the house with everything going on. I did make the switch to focusing almost exclusively on writing content, but even then, it’s been hard to find writing inspiration.

As I’ve discussed before in various posts surrounding the purpose behind this blog and my goals for its future, my content doesn’t fit neatly into one particular niche. Although you might say I’ve become exclusively a poetry blog, I still create other content focusing on education, other aspects of writing besides my own pieces, and I’m always open to requests in the comments.

I still think blogging is a great way to get your thoughts out, especially during these times where you might feel super isolated. No matter what you’re writing about, there’s something special about putting words on the page and sending them off where other people can read them. It’s even more amazing having someone connect with your work, especially when they go out of their way to tell you so.

I’ll probably revisit this topic in the near future, but hopefully I won’t have to, and better times are just around the corner. Please feel free to leave feedback and writing challenges in the comments. Stay safe and healthy out there– wear a mask! 🙂

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

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

5 Things I’ve Learned In The First Week of the Remote School Year

Brooke2 Comments

Hello everyone!

I started my junior year of high school on August 19 and am sitting down to write this after the first (half) week of school. There’s already been quite a few ups and downs, and this is definitely going to be an interesting year for everyone. I’m going to share five things I’ve learned thus far, so keep on reading if you’re interested in hearing about my remote learning experience.

  1. Patience is key. I know this might seem obvious, but it’s SO necessary that I need to include it anyway. As you might have heard from teachers and other staff, it’s difficult on their end too. We all have to be understanding and adaptable, as that’s what this situation is all about. Expect bumps in the road and that you won’t always be prepared for everything coming our way, but be willing to work past it.
  2. The phone needs to be out of sight. This might not be as much of a self-discipline issue for everyone, but I’ve found that I’m way more focused if my phone is away from my desk. I’m not even tempted to look at it or noticing notifications pop up if I can’t see it on my surface at all. There’s already so many possible distractions on a computer/whatever device you’re distance learning on, so extra devices definitely need to be put away.
  3. Zoom can be awkward, but it gets better if you actually participate. I used to be terrified of Zooms and having to speak before I did my writing program over the summer that was run completely on Zoom. That’s helped me so much in this distance learning already–although it was a completely different experience, getting comfortable with Zoom and being able to interact with people I only knew through the screen has made me more confident to participate in my Zoom classes.
  4. You have to reach out if you want to actually interact with your friends. There’s not a virtual equivalent to lunchtime or just walking from class to class with all your friends. Make sure to check in on your friends and see how their virtual learning is going, and just interact as normally as you possibly can.
  5. This is a very independent journey. Try to make the best of it, as you would with anything else. This will impact everyone differently, and there may be different pros and cons of this experience for different people. It will definitely test us and make us stronger, so try to make the most of that. Challenge yourself, but also know when you need screen time breaks or when things are getting overwhelming. Use this time to figure out what works for you and how you can build your schedule a little differently.

I hope you guys enjoyed these few little tidbits of things I’ve learned so far! I will make sure to do an updated one sometime soon. Although I’m definitely still focused on coming up with new writing content, I think it’s important to include some education related stuff, as it is the beginning of the school year, and this will be a school year no one forgets. Please feel free to leave feedback in the comments. Stay safe and healthy out there.

Brooke

Humid Goodbyes – Poem by Me

BrookeLeave a comment 
The air is thick with condensation and regret
that we chose to make our homes here when
we knew they'd fall apart eventually.
August's unforgiving sun beats down on us,
one last bout of humiliation before we admit
this wasn't the place for us and we need to leave.
Sweat trickles down the back of my neck, and my
legs, and the crooks of my elbows.
We knew it wasn't going to be pretty.

I hope you enjoyed this short poem! I am not a fan of the humidity, and the heat wave in California as I’m writing this (a week ago by the time it’s posted) is hitting me hard. What a way to end the summer, right? Please feel free to leave feedback and writing challenges in the comments. Stay safe and healthy out there.

Brooke

Invisible Hug – Poem by Me

BrookeLeave a comment 
Six feet apart with no physical contact,
I wish I could at least feel your warmth,
have the wind swirl around me and the
air feel comfortably hot, just for a moment.
The way a warm night tickles your bare 
skin, the Earth telling you "I love you"
over and over again.
Let's both imagine it right now, let
the heat seep into our skin-- we can feel
the same feelings.

I hope you enjoyed this short piece! I cannot believe summer’s coming to an end; although that wasn’t directly addressed in this poem, I feel like it kind of relates. I hope you all had wonderful summers. 🙂 Feel free to leave feedback and writing challenges in the comments. Stay safe and healthy out there. Fall’s around the corner!

Brooke

It’s Never Quiet – Poem by Me

BrookeLeave a comment 
We can always find the chaos to envelope us, and
there's a faint (or not-so-faint) buzzing in our ears.

People build and tear down buildings everyday,
and birds still continue to chirp their high-pitched calls.

We become silent and listen, but there is always noise
outside. If we talked over the noise, would it really be

any louder? This world is big enough for us all to share
our voices.

I hope you enjoyed this short piece! I’m really trying to work on some longer pieces, but my mind is so scattered right now and I have so many separate ideas that it’s hard to stay on the subject of one idea for a long time. I’m working on it 🙂 Please feel free to leave feedback and writing challenges in the comments. Stay safe and healthy out there.

Brooke

In Control – Poem by Me

Brooke2 Comments 
Driving on the freeway, cars and lights blur by
and become one. Nowhere to go but straight,
everyone moving onward. Observe each driver,
each car. We are all in control of our own vehicles,
but what has brought us to these roads in the first
place? I don't feel like driving anymore. I want 
to watch sunrises and sunsets without the glass
and metal between.

I hope you enjoyed this piece! I know it was really short. I’ve spent a lot of time commuting from place to place in my life, and there’s definitely times where I’ve felt particularly annoyed by it and wanted to boycott cars and driving (not very realistic). Please feel free to leave comments and writing challenges in the comments. Stay safe and healthy out there.

Brooke