What I've Learned And Why

my life thus far

To tell you the truth,

I’m still trying to know,

But here are some things I can tell you are so,

I’ve lived in more houses than I can count on my fingers and toes

Back around up down and in between

I’ve come to see that having a home can mean many things

I did though, build a tower up to the clouds in my mind, where I wished my home would be

I stopped building it when I met my Dad at 8 years old

The tower was filled with laughter and what I thought was love for a few years

But I realized I shouldn’t have built the tower so high because it was too hard to reach and was starting to fall apart piece by piece

I grew up though,

And started to build new, more stable towers where books bounced of the walls and dreams flew in the windows every morning

I am independent because of that tower

My family was a rope, growing closer together with every tug life threw our way

Three brothers, one older, two younger, and my precious little sister made the perfect team

Grade 5 I switched schools away from everything I knew

I learned that the friends worth having are the ones who choose you

High school hit and I started to wish that the push from society to be this and that could be replaced by a push on a swing

Most days I still do

Enlightened by music, art, writing, science and global issues was I

Teachers who asked the question “What do you think, and why?”

made me grateful that they cared enough to make me think and question the world I live in-

is so heartbreaking at times, that nothing tangible could fix it no matter the rhyme

Junior youth group is when I began to ask

Why have I been chosen for these kids to come to?

Broken, neglected, rejected, a burden on my heart for them

it’s not like my shoulders are strong

But from above comes a new song

my shoulders are not strong but they are willing

to listen and to love with everything

And that is where my passion lies

to see lives come to life

Through stories, images and interacting I learn best,

unanswered questions put my brain to the test

there’s one thing you should know about me it is that

I want to dig deep for the truth

so with shovel in hand and my innumerable questions singing out in beautiful harmonies

I will say “I will dig so I can then plant.”

Reviews

[Brent]

The narrator in your poem learns the pain of saying goodbye early on in life. Switching schools and having to make new friends must have been such an emotional strain for a kid. Your poem then covers how people must keep asking questions to understand the world better.

We should know why things are the way they are and whether or not that needs to change. Only after we know about the world around us can we start to create positive change.

[Norah]

The scenes played out in my head and were brought beautifully to life with your graphic descriptions. So simple, yet so grasping.

[Suchita]

well done! nice poem. Loved reading it, esp the part about houses, very metaphorical n beautiful idea. However, pls explain me the last line.
Beautifully written poem. Good