Ever since I was younger, I always loved the way a poem was written, and how it was possible to tell a story with a poem. It started in second grade when I discovered a book called Where the Sidewalk Ends a poetry book written by an author named Shel Silverstein.

One of my favorite poems of his was called Sick; it is about girl named Little Peggy Ann McKay, but she doesn’t want to go to school. I would sit with my best friend in the library and read his books. I have probably read through all of them many times. Then we would check them out, and read them to each other on the bus ride home.

And then I cannot forget Dr. Seuss. My favorite book by him will always be One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish. His poetry always rhymed, but not all poetry needs to rhyme; in fact I find it really hard to make a poem rhyme. Since then, I have had new inspiration from other authors like Ellen Hopkins the author of the Crank, Glass and Fallout trilogy, and now recently Gabrielle Zevin who wrote All These Things I’ve Done. I use this inspiration to write my own poetry now.

Sometimes inspiration can come from listening to a song, like the idea for the poem I have chosen to share at the end of this article is called Saltwater Stained Necklace, and it is being published in a book through an organization called Creative Communication, which can be found at poeticpower.com.

It came to me when I was listening to a song called The Tide by a band called Spill Canvas. The song is about three children that drown because their mother forgot about them after the loss of their father.

I have entered many other poetry contests, and I haven’t won any of them, but I was able to have my work published in multiple books. It is really an honor to know that my poems are able to be read all over the world. They may not be amazing, but somebody thought they were definitely good enough to be published along with many other fantastic poets; both young and old.

I believe poetry is first of all an art form, but it is also a great way to express your feelings, and to express yourself. I use it as a stress reliever, to express the thoughts that are in my head aloud, and also to try and get good messages out there. I have written poems about bullying, abuse, friendship, love, lying, true beauty, loss, caterpillars, etc. These are things that I find important except maybe not the caterpillars so much. My point is, I believe that everyone is capable of writing a poem; it doesn’t have to be good because who is to say what good is anyway. Also who said that other people have to read it, it must come from the heart, and if it does that is all that should matter.

Saltwater Stained Necklace
Do you see her?
In the middle of the crowd.
Looking out through her dazed, empty turquoise green eyes.
She looked like a rose in a field full of sunflowers; definitely different.
Her fire engine red hair danced in the wind
As she started down the sidewalk
You could practically see a sign on her back;
it read, lonely, and shown a hint of guilt.
Her clothes were un-matching and worn out.
And she wore a locket around her freckled neck;
the outside rusted and old,
but the inside held a single picture…
Her best friend of 8 years who was lost to the angry roar of waves.
They were at the beach and she was swept away; her blue-black hair, tan skin and all.
She couldn’t swim, and where had her friend been?
Off in the deep blue with her lover.
She had forgotten her for these several minutes, and ending up losing her.
Now she holds this guilt filled memory, locked up forever, and it hangs just over her heart.