“I wrote this during a time when I was feeling numb. I wish I could say that I was sad or confused or depressed about life, because that would make this easier. But I wasn’t. I was numb. I was falling into the rhythm of life as a Black girl and I realized I wasn’t living. I was conforming to the flow of life because I felt like I had to. I wrote this poem to disrupt the flow. Because I had to … right?”
“I wrote this poem for someone experiencing loss. I wanted to capture the beauty in the cyclical nature of life and the journey of returning to Mother Nature in death. It is inspired by “Cento Between the Ending and the End” by Cameron Awkward-Rich.”
“I wrote this poem in a WriteGirl Writing Wednesday workshop when we were prompted to write about an association with trees, which made me think of the tree I used to sit beneath in elementary school.”
“I wrote this piece for my friend. I wasn’t really in love with him or anything, but I used how I felt about him and other people I’ve had crushes on before to write this.”
“Growing up, I was always considered to be the ‘temperamental’ and ’emotional’ child in the family. When asked about my childhood, most will recall my ‘frequent temper tantrums,’ while I can only recall feelings of sadness and long crying fits. Others saw me as unpredictable and easily irritable, but to me, I was just hypersensitive and felt more sadness than anger. After reflecting on this unspoken label now, as a teenager, I realize how much this has affected my life.”