Poetry is terribly hard to write.

It’s expected to be beautifully worded and heart wrenching,

Yet I stare at a blank piece of paper, unable to think of a single line.

Let alone an entire life changing stanza.

In a sense, poetry is like life.

Everyone is expected to live an inspiring life,

To go out a change the world, to make a difference,

But in twenty years I’m not sure I can see myself being the next Ghandi or Bill Gates.

Life is terribly hard to live.
We as humans are raised to live up to certain standards,
And when we cannot meet them we fall.
We fall into deep pits full of the words of parents, friends, and family.
“How long until you graduate?”
“What do you plan to do with your life?”
But does anybody truly know what they’re going to do with their lives until they get there?
Because I surely had no idea where this poem was going until I started writing it.

If life is like a poem then I want it to be a free verse.
A life where I can set my own standards,
A life where I can create beautiful images of ordinary things.
A life where I can compare my thoughts to a drop of water in the ocean.
Because one mere drop will never make a difference,
But it will make a ripple,
And a ripple can lead to a wave of change.

If life is like a poem, I want it written by a struggling college student at 3am running on gas station coffee and kept up by a broken heart.
If life is like a poem, I want it written on napkins, post it notes, and hands.
Because inspiration does not wait until you’re staring at a computer screen.
If life is like a poem, I don’t want it to fit a rubric.
I don’t want it to live up to standards,
I want it to be different.

If my life is like a poem,
I don’t want it to be written by Poe, Hemmingway, or Dickinson.
If my life is like a poem,
I want it to be my own original masterpiece.
If my life is like a poem,
I want it to be something like this.