“‘I Know’ is a personal poem about what I know my future self will do eventually, because my present and future self are both trying to be the best version of ourselves. I want my future self to have hope in themselves, to have goals, ambitions, to continue doing or strive for the things I enjoy or make me happy. As a result of writing this poem, I’m again reminded of who I want to become, and I feel more at peace with self-reassurance.”
A Cup of Tea’ depicts how one can carry the weight of being cast out in society. However, sometimes all you need is a little push from yourself to realize that society does not define who you are, and the first step to being accepted in society is to accept yourself. Incorporating the past, present, and future in this work is meant to show people that who you were before and who you are now do not define the good you will give and receive in the future.
“I am a first-generation Latino who will be attending The University of Irvine this fall. It’s cool to say that I will be the first in my family to attend a four-year university, but it comes with a lot of pressure. In this poem, I wrote about my struggles with being a first-generation student and my battle with imposter syndrome. Acknowledging these emotions on paper is good and art is my therapy. I hope my poem makes people feel seen and gives others an insight into what it feels like to be a first-generation student.”
People who really know me know just how hopeful I am about everything. From having hope that I will do a good job on the test to believing I can learn a new language at 5 years old (I moved to the US during that time). I always believe good will come no matter what. There is always something, even the tiniest detail, to have hope for.
This piece reflects a rekindling of my spiritual relationship: reflections on my body, and my self, and how both found love, and Christ, too.
I wrote this poem because we never know what other people are going through. So many people have been through a lot of struggles in life (mental health struggles, family struggles, etc.), including me, so we need to be kind to one another. I hope this poem helps inspire teenagers that have struggled in life to always have hope.
I decided to talk about addiction to marijuana. I think this is an important topic that not many like to talk about because there is a lot of misinformation about CBD and the use of marijuana. I wrote about my point of view and my story in relation to this topic. I feel strongly about this topic in relation to your mental health. I feel that my voice should be heard and my hope is that this helps others by reading my poem.
“The poem I wrote about is how I am grateful for everyone in my life. How it relates to everyday life, and how gratitude is shown and appreciated.”
“This poem provides ideas and insight on ways you can find hope in dark times. It advises readers to never stop searching for hope and that hope. That the reader is not alone.”
I chose this category because I know many people who struggle to find the good in life. I wrote it in the hope of advocating to look for the good. Through this project I too learned how to better look for the good in life.