Symone+Smith


 * "Words written in verse may speak volumes when those spoken do not." -Caressia Combs **

** My Own Words ** **// Ode to Music //**

For those times when I'm down, When no comfort can be found. I'm thankful for the sounds that let me drown. It creates a scab over the emotional cuts until they heal, masking the hurt and disappointment with bruises. sound that get rid of those lonely moments. But not only in these depressing times. Even when I'm feeling my best, you play the biggest part. The joy in my heart is only heightened when the beat starts. It flows through my every vein the only thing that keeps me sane It's when the melody becomes me, my every being, I feel complete.

**// My First Sonnet: Release and Reveal //**

Release the insecurities sitting there inside. Reveal them as they were a new story. You will relive what you assumed had died. Happiness that's undefined but only if you reveal to yourself your potential. You are a star, golden, waiting desperately to get out of the darkness. Some confidence, the one requirement, no distress Release the hidden treasures that live in you. Be strong. The place is yours, be seen. Admit. Display. Reveal. Uncover. Discover a new person, the one individual, not unfit to believe they belong among valuables, diamonds even. Now release, reveal.

**// Raised By Poem //**

I was raised by an undercover straight A's, advanced placement nerdy, know it all type of Black Woman

A not going to worry about why my father wasn't there for me Kind of Black Woman

The part time, typing and answering phones, "I wish they would fire me from this job already" Sort of Black Woman

A "Ima dye my hair again" trying every hairstyle Three piercing in both ears Type of Black Woman

The "one day you will learn to treat your sister  better" Million pairs of shoes owning Kind of Mother

A don't listen to what everyone else has to say Type of Diva

I was raised by a independent black women.

//** Poems For You **//

Black lines lead me with this blank page. Endless words but all the same About you,for you Me and you My endless thoughts of you Hoping and wishing you're thinking of me too I thought I was done writing silly, pitiful poems about you, for you. But what would i be without you? You're my inspiration,my only thoughts And Its going to stay that way until my mind fades away

As a whole I would say that I write about things that concern most teenage girls daily. The poems featured on this blog specifically are about the things and people I love, my insecurities, and of course girl crushes. When I write my poems I like to rhyme and I find it difficult not too, most of my poems have a lot of rhyming or just a few rhyming words. The first poem on my page talks about one major thing that I love and view as a comfort, music. I take my music with me everywhere, when I don’t have it I feel to some extend, lost. This poem has a lot of rhyming in it and it uses a lot of metaphors. To sum it up I compare music to a kind of medicine that repairs emotional scars. My second poem, Release and Reveal, is a modified version of a poem that I wrote earlier this year. I rewrote it to be my first sonnet that also has rhyming and some similies. I have to say that, I had the most fun writing the raised by poem and that it is my favorite. There is no rhyming in this poem and this is the longest poem I have written, two things that aren’t really in my comfort zone. The last poem is about a crush that I had. I tried to use the feelings of trying to get over it to kind of fuel the words that I put in this poem. In the end I like to right about things that effect me personally, I find it easier to write these things then to tell them to someone else.

** Poet Of Choice: Nikki Giovanni ** **// A Poem of Friendship //** We are not lovers because of the love we make but the love we have We are not friends because of the laughs we spend but the tears we save I don't want to be near you for the thoughts we share but the words we never have to speak I will never miss you because of what we do   but what we are together Nikki Giovanni achieves a deep and reflective poem by using opposites to address someone close and real life imagery. In //A Poem of Friendship,// Nikki Giovanni addresses the complicated topic of relationships in a very contemporary way. The relationship in this poem may not necessarily be between her and a mate, rather it may be as simple as a friendship. She speaks of the interactions between her and a friend but not just the actions that are seen by others, hence the idea of seeming to be one thing but not only that one thing. A great example of that would be the lines “the thoughts we share but the words we never have to speak”. She speaks of the connection her and a friend have that cannot be seen. Another example of that would be " not because of the laughs we spend but the tears we save." This poem is more personalized, it always comes back to the word we. Structure wise, the poem seems to be split in half, with the first two stanzas having five lines and the second two having 5. Also the first stanzas speaking about love and laughs while the second about thoughts and/or memories. Nikki use opposites words such as //tears// and //laughs//. She also uses //spend// and //save.// Opposites seem to be the theme here because the two ideas given in each stanza also seem to be opposites, as mentioned earlier. This poem provides some imagery in a non-metaphoric manner. Rather the imagery used are of real life situations, such as the image of being able to express personal feelings to a close friend instead of confiding in oneself. **// Love Is //**

Some people forget that love is tucking you in and kissing you "Good night" no matter how young or old you are

Some people don't remember that love is listening and laughing and asking questions no matter what your age

Few recognize that love is commitment, responsibility no fun at all unless

Love is You and me

Nikki Giovanni’s use of simple wording and a subtle tone gives the reader a feeling of compassion and understanding. This poem is addressing a love interest no doubt. The central subject is love, indicated by the repeated phrase “Love is” and how it has many definitions but how two people in a relationship have to make it their own definition. Giovanni uses the image of someone “tucking you in and kissing you Good night…” as if you were a young child as one of her definitions. She compares true love to the compassion that a mother has for her child as she tucks them in at night. Nikki speaks about it a contemporary way with a subtle yet romantic tone, which makes the poem easy to comprehend with still a deeper meaning behind it. She uses opposites such as //young// and //old//, //listening// and //asking,// and //you// and //me.// The poem is entirely made of enjambments with no punctuation, giving the feel of ongoing thoughts. The first line of each stanza has eight syllables with five words in it. The first and third stanzas have four lines while the second has five and the fourth, two.

**// I'm Not Lonely //**

I'm not lonely sleeping all alone you think i'm scared but i'm a big girl i don't cry or anything

I have a great big bed to roll around in and lots of space and i don't dream bad dreams like i used to have that you were leaving me anymore

Now that you're gone i don't dream and no matter what you think i'm not lonely sleeping all alone

By means of this poem, Nikki Giovanni gives the reader a sense of relativity in the use of her imagery. This poem addresses a person who absence had a great influence on Giovanni’s life. The chief subject would be the loneliness felt due to the lack of this person. This is emphasized by the repetition of the words //lonely, alone,// and “I don’t dream”//.// She compares this loneliness to the same sensation that a child alone in a dark room would have. The sleepless nights and bad dreams caused by the worry of someone not being there to comfort them. The tone of this poem gives a feeling that the poet is almost trying to convince herself that she is not lonely. Specifically in these two lines " you think I'm scared but i'm a big girl...". By the end of the poem the poet seems more reassured that she in fact isn't lonely and doesn't need the person she is addressing. This poem has no set rhyme scheme or line length. Once again Nikki’s poem has no punctuation and is full of enjambments. Only the first letter of each stanza is capitalized.