Young Writers Society

am i saying goodbye to what will be my new
beginning, or am i joining the journey for
something unknown? can’t know until it’s started.

Past NaPos
21 - stuck behind the scenes, between the notes.
20 - i liked it better when my fears were faceless
19 - these benedight flowers
18 - my hopes are as strong as bubbles

5 <3

1. memories

-how to count:
by pictures.
of flowers i find charming,
of buildings i’ve stepped into,
of friends during one am trips.

-how to categorize:
by person, place, or thing.
every person i have laughed with,
every place i have laughed in,
every thing i have laughed from.

2. concerts

we left early, spending the weekend in a fun
whirl of new food places, of colorful stores,
and constant playing of the concert set.

we arrived early, finally parking to arrive in
the back of a slowly melting line with people
dressed in black suits and ties, and maybe red.

we started late, with the venue doors keeping
us contained from the inside longer than the
scheduled time, but we had bonded as one.

we stayed late, waiting to catch a glimpse of
the group behind a plastic wall, our voices sore
from screaming our love, but we finished.

and we drove home, captivated by the night,
by the stars winking at us, only to convince
ourselves to repeat this process once more.

this time, we left late, arrived late, started late,
and stayed late, for one last glimpse of the
eight members performing, only for one to say:

“we are coming back this year.” maybe this
is a sign that we’ll have to drive up to la once
again in the next coming months. maybe so.

3. days

i wake up at 6:30 am,
there is light in spring
after so many weeks of dark
that would radiate in my room.

i wake up late enough
that the sun has reached
the center and it is no longer
morning but my day is free.

whichever day, i can breathe
in air and tell myself that
i’ll be okay.

Great work so far! Idk if this is a weird compliment (or even the correct terminology) but I like how quantitative?? these poems are. Like, counting, categorizing, timing, etc. It feels like a constant through each of these poems even though they're very different vibes from one another, and I like that ^^

It's interesting how such a succinct poem can evoke so much layered emotion - I'm a big fan of list poems in general, but really like what you did with that first poem Perks. I think a person could interpret it sort of seriously / sadly, but could also interpret it positively too depending on what they read into the memories and images you use. I think the voice you've used for all 3 comes across as very earnest and sincere which I'd say is always a quality of your poetry. Thank you for sharing, and hope you are doing well! <3 Still a week left of NaPo if you want to give us more poetry

Happy writing! <3

I wanted to say thank you very much @Shady and @lliyah ^^ I didn’t write too much poetry this month, or this year, but I might be able to get a few more in this last week, thanks to your kind words.

4. classes

education is key.
education is the subject, sometimes,
at the beginning and middles of weeks
and sometimes in between when i
need to start writing, but i’m exhausted
and the words are running out.

science is unique.
science is the subject on even days,
which i call tuesdays and thursdays
due to their same starting letter,
and they pile dust on other days from
the old textbooks i use to study.

education is heavy.
despite all these readings, i’m not
meant to navigate this world in a single
setting, even in a single quarter of long
weeks, that have me sit and hold my
weary eyes open long enough to hope.

science is changing.
even before going online, every year
more data is gained, more experiments
conducted, more time spent on random
processes that might change the world,
or might justify four day week schedules.

5. flights

the first, weeks before the entire world
ceased in its normal rotation.
a family that i’ve yet to see again,
a college that i’ll never attend.

the second, days before another concert
of a group that i’ve seen twice.
a friend that i’ve yet to meet,
a country that i’ve never been.

the third, hours before my next midterm
of the busiest week of my life.
a fire that i’ve tried to forget,
a class that i’ve grown to loathe.