For my creative writing class, I had to (in one night) write a poem inspired by another poem called "Where I'm From". It didn't have to be much like it, which is good because mine is basically nothing like it XD It's the true story of my life and I've been shaking after writing it. It hit me so hard, poetry is powerful. I hope you like it

Where I’m From
Was like a booming drum
A lack of quiet hums
A place I’d never come
Back to if I could.
I tried to fit in
I tried to get into my “friends” were doing
Things that were ruining
God’s plan that I had strayed from

Where I’m From
Is a dark past
I’m glad didn’t last
Stuck in that middle school gym
With the smell of de-feet.

But seriously
Back then was when
In 7th grade I stayed
In the wrong crowd.
Why did they welcome me in anyway?
It seemed there wasn’t any way
I was like them.
They wore cool clothes
And acted like bros

But simply put, I did not.
I did not have those cool clothes
I did not have many friends
I did not have what they had
I did not know it was so bad
Until I tried to fit in
Until I tried what my new “friends” were doing
Until I gave up parts of myself
I was once grateful I had.
I was shocked at the sound of my increased yelling
And laughing at things I despised to hear
That blocked God’s plan I had strayed from

But where I’m from
It was not over yet
Because a year later
In the midst of all the internal debt
Some new friends and I met
And I felt so happy
Even though I made my own life crappy.
We kept on talking
And eventually my mind started blocking
The thoughts and actions that were walking
All over God’s plan that I had strayed from

Where I’m from
It was indeed not over yet
Because another year later
I was in a new place
My past was gone without a trace.
No one even seemed to remember
That the previous September
I was not myself.
Now I was in a new place
Making new, true blue friends
And that was when
I rediscovered God’s plan that I had strayed from

Fast forward to today
I can confidently say
I’m returning favors
To the ones who were and are my life-savers
By reaching out to them when they’re in need
And thanking them for accepting me
Despite where I’m from

omg you're in creative writing too :O idk about your class, but I really enjoy my small, all-female writing class. Even being the only senior in that class doesn't bother me. Creative writing is fun, especially because you can create many poems and stories with the power of words.

Speaking of words, this is wonderful. I absolutely love it. I get a good understanding on what life was like, and I can relate. GJ!

xxAriaxx : Thank you! Our classes actually have similarities. It's mostly girls but I'm at a table group with 3 other guys so I feel less awkward XD I'm the only junior in my class. It's mostly freshmen and sophomores with 1 or 2 seniors.

The fun fact about my class is that I have the same teacher for my english class which is the period right before it, so I have him twice in a row.

As for the poem itself, I figured many people could relate and that's one reason why I liked how it turned out. This is only the second poem I've ever made and they surprisingly don't take me long to do even with so many rhymes.

Oh gosh I can relate to this more than I'd like. My negative experience lasted five years though, but I finally managed to get out and get back to me and God's plan for me. I'm glad we both managed to get out of that place, man. And thanks so much for sharing this with us — it's beautiful.

Eirinn: Wow, I'm glad it wasn't that long for me but that sounds about average. It seems that most people tend to go downhill through middle school and high school and they might change back to the "good side" afterwards.

Fun fact: that year I was talking about was my first year on vizzed, but I really wanted to just be myself here. :o

Awesome poem. It reminded me of something written by Thomas Merton, who was a Trappist Monk. He came to his calling late and did a lot of sinning before he found God. He was a poet and a student of comparative religion. This poem has helped me on many a rough night.



My Lord God

My Lord God, I have no idea where I am going. I do not see the road ahead of me.
I cannot know for certain where it will end.
Nor do I really know myself, and the fact that I think I am following your will does not mean that I am actually doing so.
But I believe that the desire to please you does in fact please you. And I hope I have that desire in all that I am doing.
I hope that I will never do anything apart from that desire. And I know that if I do this you will lead me by the right road, though I may know nothing about it.
Therefore I will trust you always though I may seem to be lost, and in the shadow of death.
I will not fear, for your are ever with me, and you will never leave me to face my perils alone.

This, the "Footprints in the Sand" poem by Mary Stevenson, along with "Invictus" by William Ernst Henley are the Triad (yes, that is where I came up with the name) that I have tried to live by since 2000. You will need to Google those because this post is way too long as it is.

Wow, nice poem about those formative years. The parallelism with the last line of most stanzas, playing on straying from God's plan, was a great choice; it made the final stanza all the more powerful. I'm glad you ended it on a hopeful note; I'm happy to hear you pulled out of those influences to find the right path for you.