As if a day at school wasn’t enough work,
I am given a challenging assignment:

Write a poem modeled after another
That tells the class about yourself.
Be prepared to read aloud.
Its due tomorrow.

This task is far from simple.
I am sixteen, white, and born in Atlanta.
The most important things I’ve learned are not taught in the classroom,
But in the arguments heard late at night even though the doors are closed
gazing at the stars while listening to the crickets,
Or saying goodbye to a close friend.
In the course of Life,
Fate is the instructor
And I, the student
Eager to learn.

It’s not easy to know who you really are
Especially at sixteen.
But I guess I’m at a stage where it is
Common to be uncertain about my identity.
To be constantly seeking for confidence is the norm.
I like to dream, sleep, think, and be in love.
I like to sing, read, learn, and understand life.
I would like a new jacket for a Christmas present,
Or even better, cds --- alternative, Christian, or electronica.
I guess being different doesn’t make me not like
The same things other folks like who are healthier.
So will my writing be a messed up as my mind?
Being me, it will not be understandable.
But it will be
A part of you, dear reader.
You may be feeling just dandy right now.
Yet, just like me, you have had struggles.
That’s life.
At times, I wish that my challenges would disappear,
And I would become normal, like you.
But as I learn from my hardships,
I become more comfortable with myself.
Even though I’m only sixteen,
I’ve lived more life than some adults have.

This is my poem for English III.