Poetry Set
People say I Frown A Lot
I originally wrote this poem for myself, but it became part of my high school senior thesis. In 8th grade, I made the choice to attend a selective theater magnet program on the other side of town, and every year I made the choice to continue to program despite the difficulties. Academics and a rigorous arts program were only half of it. Surrounded by wealth, I was constantly reminded that high school demanded more from me than my peers, most of whom had never known what it was to need, let alone to want.
Every year I traveled from one side of town (the country) to the other (an affluent suburb of Orlando) to get my education. I took four-hour bus ride to school as a freshman and sophomore, and drove a 1996 Ford Windstar that I parked between a Jaguar and a Porsche as a junior and senior. Nobody from home could understand what it was like for me to go to school in a rich area, and nobody from school could comprehend what it was like to come from a place where many people relied on food stamps to survive.
When it was time to write my senior thesis, I was often distracted, filled with new artistic ideas and contemplating my experience. People would always ask me: “Why are you frowning?” I would get so frustrated! After the dozenth person brought it up, I responded: “I’m not trying to frown, I just have a lot on my mind.” And so the poem began.
This poem was a desperate attempt for me to explain to myself why it was okay to frown and why I was.
Comprehend
The purpose of our senior thesis was to capture our high school experience and its culmination. I wrote this poem specifically for my thesis - with PSIFA, I spoke to myself, and with“Comprehend,” I spoke to others.
I wrote both poems with a magical spark of inspiration guiding my words and thoughts. In reviewing the poems, I realized they were companion pieces and I integrated PSIFA into my thesis.
Do you comprehend what I’m trying to say when I explain why I’m frowning? This is the essence of the poem. My peers saw me as “weird” and “different” because I could not relate to many of their experiences, and they could not relate to mine. I knew we could relate in time, but we had to be willing to pause to comprehend each other.
Sugarcoated
I wrote this poem as a senior in college to articulate what I saw happening in my family, friends, and throughout the world. Corruption and contradictions were everywhere I looked, and this weighed heavily on 21-year-old me.
People don’t like to say things how it is. This line inspired the poem. I kept trying to have conversations about my observations, but save for a couple friends, the majority of people didn’t want to hear what I had to say. I wasn’t trying to be dark or depressing, but this was the impression I left people with. I was simply trying to talk about reality and find solutions to existential problems.
I later realized that the three pieces together made for a powerful concept. We can only comprehend why people frown when we avoid sugarcoating tough life experiences, and embrace difficult and potentially discomforting conversations.
What do you think?
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People Say I Frown a Lot/Comprehend/Sugarcoated - 11/21/18