Category Archives: poetry

You Be You, I’ll Be Me

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One evening, I got to thinking about peer pressure. It is something that challenges each and everyone of us, and we have the choice to resist it, or to give into it. This may seem like a simple choice, but once you are the subject of peer pressure, you will realize the difficulty of resisting its forces. On that evening, I wrote this poem in the hopes that it will inspire many other people to be themselves, not what other people want them to be.

Everywhere,

Everyone,

A force pulls at them,

Pulls them until they cannot resist much longer.

It seeps into everything,

It tells people how to look,

How to act,

How to be,

It whispers to us our imperfections,

Slowly gnawing away at our sense of self.

It tells us we’re not good enough,

It tells us to look like the popular girls.

No.

Push it away,

stop it from taking over you,

From changing you,

Because you be you and I’ll be me.

No.

Ignore its’ demanding that you rip yourself apart and put yourself together again in the hopes that people will like you more,

because you be you and I’ll be me.

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Nursery Rhymes and Their Darker Meanings

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Last week, my social science teacher dropped the bomb for my class—revealing, as my friend said, “that our childhood has been a lie.” Ok, ok, that was a bit dramatic. All he really told us was that the rhyme “Ring Around a Rosie” was about the Black Death, which we are currently learning about. It was still surprising (and funny to see everyone else’s reactions) to find out that a rhyme we’d been singing since we were 3 years old was about people dying. “Ring around a rosie,” talks about the marks of the bubonic plague. “Pockets full of posies,” is about people putting flowers in their houses to clear the horrid smell, and the ashes is from the cremated people who died of the plague; “we all fall down,” is quite clear: people dropped dead with the terrible disease. Here are some other nursery rhymes and their meanings that my friends and I found out about as well.

“Jack and Jill” relates to the execution of the king and queen of France. Walking up the hill symbolizes them walking to the guillotine. “Jack fell down and lost his crown,” is about King Louis getting beheaded, and when Jill comes tumbling after, it’s Marie Antoinette following right in the king’s footsteps.

“The Muffin Man” on Drury Lane was not a kindly baker as shown in little kid YouTube videos. He was based on a 16th-century baker who reportedly lived on Drury Lane, but parents made that song to warn their children away from that street and man. According to urban legend, he was a child serial killer who lured children down dark alleyways to their deaths using muffins tied on strings.

Peter, Peter, pumpkin eater,

Had a horse but couldn’t keep her.

He put her in a pumpkin shell,

And there he kept her very well.

Peter, Peter, pumpkin eater,

Had another but didn’t love her.

Peter learned to read and spell,

And then he loved her very well.

This nursery rhyme is about a poor man named Peter who was married to an unfaithful wife. The story’s meaning goes two ways from here. One possibility was that he forced her to wear a chastity belt. The iron underwear was also called a pumpkin shell; it was locked, and only the husband had the key. The other interpretation of the rhyme was that he murdered her, cremated her, and then hid her ashes in a pumpkin. Neither way is very pleasant.

Though many of our childhood nursery rhymes sound innocent, most have a gruesome meaning behind them. The people who created these rhymes lived in a much darker time period, and this was their way of lightening the mood. Today, some 7th graders believe that “these should be in a sad adult book, not sung to 2 year olds!”

Enough

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High school is a stressful time. As is middle school. There’s a constant pressure to conform, to be just like everybody else. Pressure to like the books and music everyone else likes, pressure to be popular and “cool.” Pressure to blow hundreds of dollars on new clothes to keep up with a fashion that will be out of style in two weeks. All of this pressure builds up, making it hard to stay true to yourself, hard to even remember who you truly are. But try to break free from that pressure. Try to remember. And know that you are, above all, enough.

You are enough.

More;

a rockstar,

a superhero,

someone truly

one-of-a-kind.

You are unique.

So flaunt it and just

be yourself.

In this

cruel world,

it may be hard

at times

to stay true

to yourself.

But remember.

There is only

one you.

There will only ever be

one you.

Your eyes,

your smile,

your laugh,

who you are

as a person.

None of that

can ever be

replicated.

None of that

can ever be

taken

from you

because that is

uniquely you.

You are

beautiful.

You are

perfect.

You are

enough.

So remember.

Even if your day

is hard,

even if your life

is hard,

you are enough.

And that is enough.

So be yourself.

Because who else

would you want

to be?

This is a free verse poem I wrote for a speech class of mine, but I decided to share it with you. Maybe it’s a little cliche, but it’s something I truly believe in. I based my entire eighth grade commencement speech on this very concept: you are enough and you are beautiful, just the way you are. I, too, sometimes struggle with myself. I often get frustrated and angry and stressed. But reminders like this help me keep my thoughts in line, help me get back on track. Hopefully this little poem was your reminder today.

Annabel Lee by Edgar Allan Poe

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“Annabel Lee” by Edgar Allan Poe is a poem about a young man and woman’s love story. The story follows a love that provokes even the angels to strip the man of the woman as she passes away in the poem. The poem surrounds the themes of love and how both deep love and death cause great grief and sorrow. 

I particularly love how Poe develops the poem and creates it into a short story. While reading, it barely feels like a real poem, and rather a simple story about a couple in love and their tragic ending. I also love the way that Poe describes the couple’s love as he conveys their love as almost ethereal and something only seen once in a lifetime. The reader is truly immersed in their love especially with how Poe emphasizes how they had a “love that was more than love.” 

I did not dislike anything in particular, except for Poe’s eccentric habit of writing about a young, beautiful woman’s death. I find Edgar Allan Poe an extremely odd man who often wrote about darker themes. Despite how much I enjoy his poems, they may appear a bit strange or may carry hints of weird recurring themes. 

I truly enjoy this poem and recommend that anyone reads it. “Annabel Lee” is a short poem that is easy and fun to read that makes you wonder more about the couple’s story. Please give it a try as well as Edgar Allan Poe’s other works like Tell Tale Heart, a short novel, or even “The Bells,” another poem.

Kaiya T.

Books by Edgar Allan Poe are available to check out from the Mission Viejo Library. They are also available to download for free from Libby.

Eighteen Years by Madisen Kuhn

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Growing up, I have always loved to read poems but it was not until around 2 years ago when I decided to read my first poem book. After hearing it as a recommendation from some friends and seeing it on social media, I decided to pick up the book Eighteen Years by Madisen Kuhn.

While I greatly enjoy reading the classics, I think it is equally as important to indulge in easier reads like this one. Eighteen Years is made up of over 200 poems, a few of them being accompanied by Laura Supnik’s creative illustrations. Each poem is uniquely different, and Kuhn wrote it to be a source of comfort for her readers.

Personally, I would recommend Eighteen Years for an older teen audience: those 15 and older. The poems are not inappropriate, but I believe that an older teen would get the most out of the book due to its relatable nature for those who have lived more of their teenage years. Some topics of discussion within the poems include relationships, personal growth, and friendships. 

Similar to my own opinion, most reviews on this book are overwhelmingly positive. With this, some people have proven to be critical of its writing, but these reviews are from a predominantly older audience that would most likely not relate to the experiences as much. For this reason, I think the book is extremely beneficial for a teenager to read to help them through these confusing years of their life.

Next time you are looking for a light-hearted read, consider Eighteen Years as it greatly inspired me to read more poetry books and poetry as a whole.

– Taylor O.

de Portola 50th Anniversary Poem

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de Portola Elementary, my school, had its 50th Anniversary celebration on March 31st.

I got to read this poem I wrote during the assembly!

–

“Thank you, de Portola”

Celebrating these 50 years

Is a beautiful achievement

To think of all of the blood, sweat and tears

Put into this school and made whole 

–

Celebrating 50 years

At first sight so much more than it appears 

for so many students are taught here each day

Taught to learn how to foray into our world

And this school has helped fifty years of students,

Urged their creativity, made hard problems unfurl.

–

They’ve played on this playground,

Ran in these fields

Learned in this building

And here ate their meals.

–

Those 50 years of students

Learned to do math and read and write

Those skills will forever help them

To guide their dreams in sight;

it helps them fight for their future

–

This school has given so much education

Like a train station, its

Helped so many reach their wanted destination

Because this school has made the difference

In so, so many lives

–

And do you know how?

It’s the staff make this school whole

They teach us and guide us and help us when we fall

They’ve cared for us and rewarded us as far as we can recall,

their patience should be recorded for all.

–

They are kind when we are not,

Patient when we are not,

And help us when we’ve forgot – 

because we all do.

–

So thank you, staff of this school.

But it’s not just them that have built this community; 

it’s you too.

–

So thank you, de Portola.

Thank you for making the difference for 50 years.

Thank you for helping us past our fears

Thank you de Portola.

And thank you…

For listening 

I Am Offering My Love (Inspired by Jimmy Santiago Baca’s “I Am Offering This Poem”)

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Growing up, it was hard for me to express my emotions, especially with my family. I was highly inspired by Jimmy Santiago Baca’s “I Am Offering This Poem” and wrote my own version of it, called I Am Offering My Love, as a way to convey my feelings.


I don’t have much to give, maybe I don’t have anything at all.

I don’t have the money to buy you anything.

I can’t wrestle with God to claim the Earth for you.

However, I have my love, and I hope it can reach you through this poem.

Thank you

You were the one who brought me into this world.

A world that has given me happiness,  

a world with you.

Would you keep this?

After I’ve thrived, after I’ve soared to new heights and left you, would you keep this?

Thank you

For so long, you were my lifeline.

I couldn’t do anything without you, and you stayed with me the whole time.

Because of you, I am where I am today.

Thank you

You are like the sun, lighting the way for me.

You are like a pillar, supporting me and always making sure I’m still standing.

Like a book, always having an interesting story to tell me.

And I am always willing to listen.

Thank you

On a rainy day, I remember the times we had together, and it suddenly feels like it was sunny all week.

I would remember all the times we would go to the park and eat ice cream.

I would remember all the times we went shopping when there were sales.

I would remember all the times you made me laugh.

Hopefully, you remember those times too.

Those moments with you kept me going during difficult times.

I know we will make a million more memories, because you’ll always be by my side.

So thank you, for everything 

Album Review: Evermore by Taylor Swift

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In July of 2020, acclaimed singer-songwriter Taylor Swift surprise released her eighth studio album, Folklore. Fans were shocked by her abrupt dive into the alternative-indie genre after being a global icon of pop music for years. On December 11, 2020, she followed up by surprise releasing her ninth album, Evermore, shocking her fanbase once again.

Evermore is a 15-track album of alternative rock and indie folk songs. Swift collaborated with Aaron Dessner on the album, and most of it was recorded at the Long Pond Studio in the Hudson Valley. It features the bands Bon Iver, Haim, and The National. As a cottagecore-inspired escapist album, Evermore is most known for Swift’s incredible and haunting storytelling and poetic lyricism, which is backed by fingerpicked guitar, melancholy piano melodies, and soft percussion. This album is a musical storybook full of tales of marriage, infidelity, heartbreak, grief, love, and human emotion. In my opinion, the following are the most well-written songs on Evermore:

Track 2: “champagne problems” – This song is the story of a woman who turns down her partner’s marriage proposal, shocking all their family and friends. As Taylor Swift stated, the characters were “longtime college sweethearts [who] had very different plans for the same night, one to end it and one who brought a ring.”

Track 5: “tolerate it” – This beautifully written song tells of a never-ending struggle where the narrator wants love from their partner, who isn’t paying attention to the narrator at all. Swift drew inspiration from the novel Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier, explaining that the young woman in the story put in much effort to impress her husband, yet he merely tolerated her love.

Track 9: “coney island ft. The National” – This song features back-and-forth conversational lyrics between two characters who were previously involved in a relationship. Through somber and nostalgic lyrics, the narrator regretfully apologizes for not loving their partner enough.

Track 10: “ivy” – In “ivy,” Swift sings about a woman falling in love with someone who is not her husband, leading to a secret affair.

Track 15: “evermore” – As the title track of the album, “evermore” is a piano ballad about the narrator’s journey from an endless stretch of deep depression to a place of hope and healing.

To conclude, Evermore is a beautiful album that stirs up emotions in listeners. I would absolutely recommend this album, especially if you enjoy reading classic literature and can appreciate the beauty of Taylor Swift’s lyricism.

Happy listening!

The question pounds my head
“What’s a lifetime of achievement?”
If I pushed you to the edge
But you were too polite to leave me
And do you miss the rogue
Who coaxed you into paradise and left you there?
Will you forgive my soul
When you’re too wise to trust me and too old to care?

-Taylor Swift, “Coney Island”

-Lam T.

Milk and Honey

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Book Title: Milk and Honey

Author: Rupi Kaur

Rating: 9/10

Reading Level: 8-12

“I am water. Soft enough to offer life. Tough enough to drown it away”

Milk and Honey is a beautifully written book by Rupi Kaur that features 4 sections: the hurting, loving, breaking, and healing of life.

Kaur has written this book with a level of finesse but also solitude that I haven’t ever read before. This book features poems and minimalistic illustrations that manage to give the book a delicateness and sense of mindfulness throughout its 226 pages.

Milk and Honey does have a bit of mature content, which is why I rated the reading level of this book a little higher, but is a must-read for those searching for a truly masterful poetry experience.

“For you to see beauty here does not mean there is beauty in me. It means there is beauty rooted so deep within you, you can’t help but see it everywhere.”

-Anusha M.

Milk and Honey by Rupi Kaur is available for checkout from the Mission Viejo Library. It is also available to download for free from Libby.

So Far So Good by Ursula K. LeGuin

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So Far So Good: Le Guin, Ursula K.: 9781556595387: Books

Written over the last four years before her death, Ursula LeGuin’s (1929-2018) So Far So Good is a fascinating study of nature, aging, the past, and the end.

I’ve been reading LeGuin’s oeuvre for quite some time now- and this final book did not disappoint whatsoever. I have previously expressed admiration for her variations in vocabulary and style while still maintaining a crystal-clear theme; nowhere in her works was this more prominent than in So Far So Good. The subject matter is far more narrow in this book than it is in others, limited to only discussions of her past and the nature that surrounds her in her present- which I suppose is in keeping with her approaching the close of her life.

However, even with this narrow subject matter, LeGuin does not disappoint. Her vivid, lush imagery, and adept skill at painting landscapes was clear as day in this book- her musings about the afterlife and the ancestors also never fail to captivate and spark thought. I would highly recommend this book, and this author, to anyone looking for a meditative, easily digestable, and quick poetry read.

-Vaidehi B.

So Far So Good by Ursula K. LeGuin is available for checkout from the Mission Viejo Library.