People Watching

Hey all! Hope you all had a great Easter! As for me, I just flew back to North Carolina from New York. A very good vacation for me (but I ate WAY too much.) Anyway, I'm sitting here in the airport waiting to pick up my roommate and though of a great poetry exercise.

I'm sitting here people watching. Watching people race to flights, eating cinnamon buns, and having the wheels break off of their bags ( I felt so bad for that person.) But as I was sitting here watching the people pass through Charlotte airport I started asking questions. Where were they going? Were they going to see their family or flying to go to a meeting tomorrow for work?

So here's my exercise, I want you to people watch and image their life. Go outside and watch the world around you. Watch the people and image their personality. It's actually a lot of fun making up a whole different life!

Sticky Fingers

Cream icing falls onto my fingers
as snow frosting mountain tops.
Brushing my brown locks away from the danger zone
the box tumbles to the ground.
An acrobat twisting down onto the titled floor.

I don't look very professional sitting here licking my index finger
in my Ralph Lauren suit and Channel glasses on.
Trying to just blend in with the crowd. Always trying.
Still just a kid at heart.

The freckles on my face can be traced into constellations
hidden zodiac signs. My chocolate bangs can not even hide
the freckles in my eyes.

I pick up my Gucci laptop case and head towards the gate.
Still sucking on my sticky fingers. Any last trace of paradise
still reminds on the tip of my tongue while I
enter back into reality.


That's just something I worked on real quickly. I like it, but I may go back and work on it again. That's the beauty of poetry, you can always go back and re-work your piece. It can make it stronger or maybe you'll end up not liking it as much. But never EVER throw away your work. You'll never know when you can use it.

Have fun with this one! It's always fun to see what kind of life you can come up with!

Say Cheese!

Hey friends! Hope everyone is inspired to write today. I know Easter is right around the corner and we're all super excited to get out of school and go home (I know I am.) So today I thought of a fun exercise to do.

Since Easter is all about spending time with family and friends I want that to inspire you. Find a picture from any family event (Christmas, a birthday etc...) and write a poem about the picture you have. You can write it from your point of view (if you're in the picture or not), from a different family member's point of view or even an outsider looking in.

For example I wrote the poem Paper Hats. It's about my Grandmother's 81st birthday and I wrote it in the point of view form my Aunt Shari. She's not in the picture that I have posted and she's like the black sheep of the family, so it's suppose to be from her point of view looking in.

Paper Hats

I brought the eye of the storm with me as I entered.
Black leather jacket clinging to my waste
cell phone glued to my hand.

Passing the giggling nieces
I smile politely and pushed through them.
The blonde one nudges me back, her wavy eyes following me
A Mona Lisa glare.
Her fists tighten as she turns to whisper in her sisters’ ear.

I sit at the dining room table with the rest of the adults stage frightened.
I managed a smile, as the table grows still.
Watery eyes fixed on mine, the uncles already on their fifth beer.

Laughing, laughing
It’s her 81st birthday.
More of this laughing.
Stupid paper hats.

I am the hand grasping the mug in the corner.
Not invited into their circle, always on the outskirts,
bordering on the family line.

I stir my tea
cupping the white porcelain mug with shaky hands.
The picture of the family screened on it

I’m not in it
...Of course not

So yes, maybe it's a little like a revenge poem (considering I do have some personal problems with my aunt) but hey you might get a great poem out of it! It can be funny, emotional or even inspirational. Have fun with it and see what you come up with! Remember it can be from your point of view, another family member's or even a total stranger looking in! Happy writing :)