I absolutely loathe the idea of studying poetry in English class. It was most certainly the most painful part of any part of my education. I resisted every attempt to force me to engage in any sort of interaction with anything remotely poetical.

In 11th grade I eventually had to write a poem that described who I am and although I did not want to do it I ended up writing a poem that was an entire page long and it described me well enough that I still have that handwritten poem to this day.

Recently I was talking to a friend about going through a dark time and I said “I’ll be okay in a few days” and he challenged me to write a poem. At first I laughed at him, “I don’t DO poetry!”, but then I thought that perhaps I should give it a try.

This is the result of that effort:

I’ll be okay
In a few days
Though endless it seems
There’s always a gleam
Although it seems dark
Along comes a spark
I’m never sure when
I’ll be happy again
Pray return to me fast
And one day it lasts
The dark times will fade
Old memories made
To feel safe in my skin
New life to begin
Be patient with me
And soon you will see
Though hearts may rend
Patience pays off in the end.

I don’t know if it’s considered a “good” poem, but I think that I’ve discovered something about poetry that had previously eluded me. The act of creating a poem is cathartic, I went on an interesting journey trying to find the right words to say what I felt. The act of introspection itself made my attempt to create this poem well worth the effort, if it happens to end up meaning something to someone else afterwards then that’s just a side benefit.

Enjoy!

~Elena <3