Poem After the Workshop with Noah Arhm Choi

(by the students in Kaplan World Lit II April 2, 2024)

My new dragon incense holder rests its head on my pillow

You got me a blue bracelet, you told me it reminded you of my eyes

This is not a poem, it’s common sense

As I look at myself I see a dope as f*** life

Whenever the sky cries, the sea catches her tears and cradles them in his water

I tell you to dream

It is not permanent, yet not unachievable

Everyone individual, filled with depth and humanity and life and experiences all being human yet so separate

The pressure of the future crushes me like a boulder on my shoulders

While they’re eating sushi, you’ll be improving

My cat is like a silly goofy old man

You found me yet you’re still running

Your tears are like the sand, too hard to catch

Those things made me stronger as a person, yet it left trauma as scars

Every day I wake up in the dark

And now I’m back to being a little girl crying over her imperfect letters

“She’s my spitting image” you say and I hate it cause I never wanna be you

My own room reminding me of my family’s struggles

I wish I could hold my tongue but resistance runs in my blood

I’m proud

Today I lift up the preconceived ideas of the future–

that until today dictated my every move and thought of what is to come

I’ve inherited the hypocrisy and that stain on the sofa

What it means to be alive