How often do you get to read poetry from the brain of a real teen? Everyone reads young adult books, but they’re written by adults so here’s your chance to read poetry from a teen, expressing themself. My work is inspired by prompts given to me by mentors or random thoughts and questions I have about life.
Serious
Confirmed-Rosemary
Confirmed-Rosemary is a culmination of all my literary triumphs. It includes crowd favorites like “God is a Girl” and girlhood poems like “Growing Pains”—old to new, each making history.
Because This is My First Life
This is a piece about being a seventeen-year-old. An ode to myself reflecting on the experiences of my teenage years while acknowledging some of my personal heroes.
Wrapped In Red
In my poem, I explore themes of self identity and purpose through the eyes of the mythological character of Persephone. “Wrapped In Red” goes through Persephone’s memories of a simple decision that altered her future.
relating to, derived from, or consisting of matter: having real importance or great consequences
In honor of Black History Month, I have written a piece that reflects on everyday reminders of slavery. I draw an unconventional parallel between my life and the experience of an enslaved woman.
Part One of Thirteen of 13 Ways of Looking at Being Female-Bodied
I sat in Port with my legs curled up on the floor, leaning up against my bunk bed.
An Unforgettable Birthday
Birthdays can be hard when you lose a loved one. But how much harder does it become when you have to remember that loss for seven hundred years?
Fireworks
Read as the loud bang coming from outside sparks a dreadful thought at the young hours of the night.
I Smile Lemon Peel
“I Smile Lemon Peel” is a heart-wrenching, at times sour (no pun intended) journey of a woman finding her place in the world as she navigates her relationship with her body and her struggle to reclaim her agency over it. An homage to the image of the 1950s housewife baking a lemon meringue pie, this poem depicts the untold story of women as survivors, not victims, as they witness sweets curdle before their eyes, refusing to crumble when people pillage their bodies/souls.
My Will
To the people out there who are painted by injustice…like myself.
An Eye-opening Experience
Maisha Jahan Chowdhury’s visit to Myanmar Refugee Camp.
Prison Through the Eyes of a Former Inmate
A look at the U.S. prison system through the eyes of someone who has lived through it.
As A Woman
In New York, there are many times I’ve been catcalled on the train. I wrote this poem to release my bottled up anger about the constant catcalls and times I was seen as an object.
Burn, Pine, Perish
When a cold, unfeeling rejection appears at our doorstep, do we readily welcome it? Hardly. Alas, it makes its way indoors regardless, bringing along misery as a plus one.
My Mother’s Allegiance
My Mother’s Allegiance focuses on the essential factors that encouraged my mother to flee to America, and the assimilation and racism often present in the experiences of an immigrant.