Project 3
17 Characters
Sweet and seventeen
1 year since sixteen
1 year till eighteen
Taking the next step
A soon to be maverick
Ever so unexpecting
Driven, altruistic
2 Shots of Espresso!
Two colors in my hair
Mornings are tiring
Drowned in plushies
Waste It On Me, Youth
Yes, Boba is amazing
Hides behind camera
I have “Senioritis”
Saying goodbye soon
Sassy and seventeen
Lucas
Here comes Lucas,
jeering as ever.
He steals our fire,
with every breath.
His words are a knife,
cutting deeply into our confidence.
The room becomes silent,
making way for his mockery.
But he runs out the door,
taking our fear with him.
Vivid Colors
It was not long ago,
that I could see the world’s
vivid colors. But I can’t anymore.
I only see black and white, dreams are hidden
behind reality, and the never-ending
tunnel vision of a set path.
Parking my butterfly painted bike
in the garage, hitting the ball
above the garage door, singing along
to the radio’s top hits
are only what I can remember.
My thoughts are clouded by deadlines:
Scholarly and self-development activities.
And in between these fruitful activities,
I wish to see the world again in vivid colors.
Artist Statement
I chose to construct three poems because I thought it was the best way for me to represent myself, my thoughts, and my past experiences. I approached writing these pieces by reflecting on how the components and structure of past poems I have read illustrated the author’s intended context or message he or she wanted to portray. At first, I did not know where to start when constructing the poems. But by remembering my inspiration for “Metaphors”, it leads me to create my own uniquely structured poem “17 Characters”. “17 Characters” consisted of 17 lines with each line having only 17 characters, excluding spaces, that describe my personality: favorite songs, snacks, my thoughts, and my ambitions. It was difficult finding the right words to take up an exact amount of characters while making sure it perfectly portrays me. I had to think creatively and find ways to concisely tell the reader what I want them to know about me. By writing “17 Characters”, I was also able to expand my vocabulary knowledge and remind myself of the small characteristic that makes me “Aubrey”.
The second piece I wrote was based on one of my pet peeves. I wrote this at a time when I was feeling bothered which led me to take out my annoyance while completing part of my assignment. “Lucas” is structured with five sentences or stanzas and each one is broken down into two lines by a comma. I attempted to write in a second-person point of view, in which the poem tells a sequence of events about a personal experience that has become a daily routine for me. The piece describes a character who has a mocking and egotistical persona. As he surrounds himself with other people, his actions and words emotionally affect them. My reasoning why I included this in the poem is because I wanted to illustrate my frustration when someone thinks him or herself better than others. However, I included the last line to show that when something comes, it doesn’t always stay. And when it leaves, there is satisfaction and relief of annoyance that disappears. Although it may seem like a rant, it still gives the reader an insight into who I am as a person. I do not enjoy surrounding myself with people who discourage others because I believe that no one deserves to be put down.
Finally, the third piece I wrote, “Vivid Colors”, illustrates what I currently perceive the world as and what I want it to be. This past month, knowing that I would no longer live under the same roof for the next four years, I have been cleaning out my room and have stumbled upon many childhood memories. I remember being full of life and energy that seemed to never cease and my mind never being clouded by worries, only feelings of joy. As I reminisce about these particular moments-playing volleyball with my neighbors, skiing down green slopes, handstands in the pool- I categorize them as highlights of my childhood youth that I wish I could re-live. Currently, I have tunnel vision. I can only see a pre-set path that claims that I will have success in the future. But this path comes with responsibilities and pressures piling high, consequently blocking my view of having a fun and adventurous life. Now, I only associate my youth with vivid colors and the present as black and white building blocks. I attempted to portray my perspective about growing up through this poem. It is hard for me to believe that many years went by and I can no longer return to those “vivid” memories. There is not a set structure compared to the last two poems. I wanted everything to be unexpecting, like how fast time flies. However, I found writing the third poem particularly difficult compared to the others because I found it hard to portray my emotions. But by dissecting what I felt and what I wanted to portray to the reader, I wrote the poem one line at a time. I also wrote the poem in the first-person point of view to help me get my message across and create a stronger connection with the reader.
