This week we took a brave leap while examining our overall theme of, ‘Writer Who Are You: Identity Through Poetry.’ We looked at our own worries (or lack of) beginning with Audre Lorde’s poem, Hanging Fire. In the voice of a 14 year old girl, Lorde looks at all manner of teen anxiety. Ms. Munoz’ s 7th Grade class began by working in groups, placing their worries on small index cards and pinning them up, with no names attached, to a bulletin board we created around this poetry project. Ms. Munoz and I were also sure to add our own cards.
After reading the poem, we talked a bit about its evocative title, line breaks, the power of repetition in the 3 stanzas, and how the poem examines being ‘in between’ spaces and places, thus liminal in nature. I also read them a short paragraph about ‘dangerous writing’ from Poets and Writers. Here are some of the poems created. Students wrote on their own worries, worries of others and having no worries at all. Hats off, again, to a brave session of writers!
Ms. Munoz, 7th Grade
1st Period
Untitled
Gabby R.
I am 13 years old
I shouldn’t worry about life
Just yet but I do worry
If I don’t become who
I want to be
If I don’t succeed
What I want to succeed
But life keeps going
And I must go with it.
What if I’m alone, if
My friends don’t like me.
If I never get married.
If I end up living my days alone
With 50 cats
And if I never get to be
With who I love the most
But life keeps going.
And I must go with it.
What if Donald Trump
Becomes president.
And brings racism
To my country
And a war
We will never win
Begins.
But life keeps going,
And I must go with it.
Leave The Door Open
Pauline F.
Am I too
weird
and so, do my friends really like
me
my personality
is strange
I have dark thoughts that
I don’t share.
Don’t I get to cry?
I look horrible
dry skin that peels
zits on my face
scars on my
body
Thin hair
fat stomach
Don’t I get to cry?
None of my interests
have a very good chance
of providing for me
Heck,
will I even pass my
exit exam
Let me close
the door
and try to breath
through my sobs
no one can help me,
no one, loves, me.
Up In My Head
Gia D.
Who knows what would happen
I could fail everything
Piano
Swimming
School
I try my hardest
I don’t want to be a disappointment.
I need to have straight A’s
Ace my exams
Get into a good high school
College
Medical School
All this stress in my life
But I don’t want to be
a disappointment.
There’s academics and athletics
What if I die one day.
I need to be alive
To achieve my goals and
aspirations.
Because I don’t want to be
a disappointment.
Sure?
Jasmine B.
I am about to be 13
Will I ever make it 14
I have insecurities
do people like me
am I enough?
I stop to think
in the gloomy night
will I ever make it in life
am I truly loved?
Everywhere I go
I see people having
a great time with friends
and loved ones
making me think how
can I be happy in
life worry free like them?
There is no day I…
We spent not being
able to feel full for
We doubt our life’s
experiences and
have questions we
want to have an answer too.
Our insecurities lead us
to depression or make
us think deeply
to truly understand
our thinking we must
live it to experience it
and to put your head up
high everyday
pretending to be
OK.
Ms. Munoz, 7th Grade
3rd Period
One Place
Sara M.
I am 12
I might not
get to see the world
I stay stuck to one place
I have to do well
this year
it is my last chance
what if I don’t succeed
Nobody helps me
but they say they do
people all deserve
that life that
they want
Melissa G.
The Dreaming Girl
I am 13
I worry I’m not smart enough
I dream to much
I worry that I wont make the
right decision.
I worry I wont make my parents
proud.
My grandma will never get better
My family and I will never get
our own house.
I worry I wont be good at one thing
Is my skin to dry or too oily
I worry I will break down, I will
give in to weakness.
I worry I will turn to fiction instead of facing
reality. I worry life will
get too
hard.
Broken Doll
Keva W.
I am 12
Almost 13
just peachy
I have a brother
older
tall and handsome and smart
Am I good enough.
Best friend, Chanell, I love her
till death
I worry
I go to a gifted school
how’s that holding up?
tall, maybe pretty
smart and athletic
Am I good enough.
Am I good enough to be
the best
Am I good enough to face
life
Future
When will I go
How will I be
Am I smart enough
We shall see
If
I am good enough.
Untitled
Sean C.
I am 12
I’m doing fine
My life is fine
I’m 7 months away
from being 13
I’m not scared
I’ll face my fear
And defeat them
Ms. Munoz, 7th Grade
6th Period
Feelings
Brooke D.
Feelings
they are complicated confusing and
hard to depict
But the ones you are feeling most
mad, sad, hungry, tired, happy, joyful
speak to you
right now I am feeling happy
thankful for my friends, family
happy I get to go to school everyday
and do what I love…
But what if all that is ruined
because of one phrase
“you can’t do that” “no” “stop”
The words build up inside and
than it is clear that my emotions
have
changed
Going from happy to sad to
joyful to mad
It all changes just with one word…
Untitled
Carmella G.
I am 13 and nothing is right anymore
Nothing will go right again
People lie
People shatter dreams
What if I never see beauty again
What if a life lived is a life lost?
What if no one comes when I cry
and I sit in a drenched soul
What if there is no song that speaks of happiness
I can’t live in a world where happiness is
darkness and darkness is death.
What if I awaken feeling fine and free
but finding myself still tied in the knot of life
No more brightness in my eyes stuck in
My world that only the one who is
gone can break.
Home
Sage K.
What if my mom doesn’t get a job
What if my dad losses his
What if we can’t pay the bills
What if they take my house.
What if we have to live on the street
What if there is nothing to eat
None of my friends know they have their own
home.
How wrong a life could get
But that has not happened yet.
Scared
Eddie P.
I am nervous
I am 13 years old
I am a student
I am scared
I have lost myself
I have lost my family
I have lost my friends
I am scared
I am in my worst nightmare
I am dying
I am sick
I am scared
Oh Brother!
Marcus R.
Is he happy?
Is he safe?
Is he scared?
Does he have any worries?
I do…
Will he get bullied?
Will he be betrayed?
What if I’m not there for him?
What if I get there too late?
What if he gets lost?
Will he get hurt?
I won’t have much worries one
day…
one day…
Ms. Munoz, 7th Grade
7th Period
Untitled
Rory M.
I’m 13
I’m worried about not being able to
generate ideas.
Untitled
Gabriel H.
I am 12
I am happy
then sad
I’m worried about Lazlo’s spelling
I’m worried about life
And the fact that
with every jump there is a fall
I’m worried about childhood never ending
And the feeling of not being able to change mistakes
I hate all
I worry about all
And if life is like this
It’s not worth it to live.
Enough
Sabrina G.
I am 12 3/4 years
I have too many worries
My grades, school, college,
high school. What if I
fail or get kicked out?
I want to make my parents
proud, but it’s hard. My
skin isn’t clear enough, my
grades aren’t high enough,
my best isn’t enough.
No Glo
Tsion I.
I am twelve
and each night I worry
“Will I Glo up?”
I dream of that glo up
physically and emotionally.
Will I become a better person?
Will I look better?
I must glo up,
at least that’s what I believe
While I wait for that glo up to come up
I must enjoy my time.
I guess when you glo up,
you also group up.
So if you glo up too much
you die.
Ill be here waitng for
that glo up.
But I wont be too anxious
in fear of death.
What If?
Shelia B.
I am 13 and I have
arachnophobia
If I drive they
might die
What if?
What if I
let them down
What if I
don’t get in
What if
I don’t get the
job
What if?
What if I
eat spiders
What if they
get me
sick what if
there’s many
and I can
no longer
move
What if?
What if they
don’t like
me what if
I’m not accepted
What if I
get shut out
What if?
Ms. Munoz, 7th Grade
8th Period
No Worries
Sofia M.
I am being honest
I have no worries
I may not have
a perfect life
but I have no worries
I have no worries
about death or life
about food or money
I just don’t care
I have no worries
I just don’t see the
point why worry
about things like
life and death when
those things just
come and go
Untitled
Jasmine V.
I am twelve
life surrounds me like prison
attacking of worries,
disappointment and
insecurity. Questions on what would happen.
Not being able to have fun
with friends on a weekend
just because you got a 89
on your quiz
Losing my friends for
something I have
done wrong. I would hate that.
What have I done to
have these worries.
Am I a bad person?
What can I change
to make it go away?
Hakuna Matata
Miles D.
My greatest fear,
is of everything
being OK, and
nothing wrong.
Everything OK,
leads to ignorance,
thinking all is fine,
leads to downfall.
Thinking you’re
invincible, when
you are letting,
things go wrong.
Thoughts In My Mind
(or Why)
Jason A.
I am 13 years old
I am bored
Why am I here
What am I doing
Here in this boring
school.
Why do I get up
at 5:30 every morning just to go
to a school 2 hours away from
my home just to learn some boring
things that I will never need in
my life.
Why does this kid talk so
much I think can you be quiet please
Why do I even come here with all these
people I do not like that are annoying.
