Poetry Portfolio Project: The Dark Chapter

1. Poetry Portfolio Project: The Dark Chapter By Hope Kaufman Miss Antwih 2nd Period

2. Table of Contents

3. Bio Poem I am a lone piece of driftwood Waiting to be washed up on shore A tune that shifts from a sickly sweet to a bitter taste And a cynical being as I should not be We are bright The sun shinny at times But clouded at others Worried about failure Yet having the courage to speak We are tomorrow’s leaders The future lies in our hands I don’t think we understand the responsibility we hold Americans are proud We’re strong as a nation And together we can do anything Once and idea is sparked by one of us It spreads like wildfire We can change the world if we stay united

4. Home Tall trees and thick grass, this is where I lay staring at the blazing sun, it begs me to look away and the grass blows beneath me, attempting to push me away So maybe this isn’t where I belong I can tell The wind slaps cold air on my face Scowling at my presence here I’m lost in a reality that isn’t mine Suddenly I fall into a dark hole that swallows me like a pill And I’m home

5. Pieces Of You You’re as rigid as a board, Moving isn’t really your thing And I get it You want to rush by people unknowingly Like a thief in the night, And I don’t judge you You never let you stare linger for more than a moment Your eyes flash back and forth like highway signs And I hear your voice that’s as quiet as a mouse And I don’t judge you I just wish you would come out, Like the bright sun you are

6. I am from violins, from soccer balls, and duct tape wallets I am from the soft pink bricks and beautiful rooms I am from the azaleas, the pale green ferns I am from the pan seared salmon and rice and the creamy shrimp alfredo I am from the soccer games every weekend and lots of arguing, from India and Kenny, and the Kaufmans I am from the hectic mornings and being late to the party I am from “I love you and God loves you” and the classic “never talk to strangers” I am from Christian teachings and agnostic freedom I am from Austell Georgia and New York City, Collard Greens and Matzo Ball soup From the 5th grade graduation ceremony where my mom dresses me up like a princess, the awards and proud faces of my peers, and the rushing of my dad to get there I am from the big breakfasts, the family dinners, the loving hugs, the constant encouragement, truth and loyalty And I am a musical soul drifting in the wind trying to find something to hold onto Where I’m From

7. Fading Sadness Save me, for I am falling very hard How could I have been so blind not to care? When did I decide to let down my guard? I was so careful, yet so unaware I do not get it, this wasn’t my plan This is something that I cannot control Now I’m yearning to know when I will land What thing have I been trying to withhold? What is that thing? You may wish to ask me That thing is the feeling of happiness But oh sadness, won’t you let me be free Why are my feeling not full of bleakness? I’m fighting gravity, but win I won’t Every time I’m happy my heart screams “don’t”

8. Aesthetic All the beauty in the world Everything we find delicate and perfect Soft sounds that are undeniably harmonious Times that make you feel like you’re in another world Having qualities that we want to mimic Even though they are too unique to copy The pretty sunsets we wish to see It all makes perfect sense Colors that blend together like a sparkly lilac sky

9. Introvert Your stare upsets me Please, can you just look away It’s suffocating

10. Run Away Can we ever start again? I wonder how you feel now that I’m gone I wonder if you even care I’m lost somewhere and you can’t reach me Maybe it’s for the best There’s an old picture of us on the floor And I can’t stop the memories from flooding into my head Those memories evoke a feeling of familiarity That shakes me to my core Why did I run away from you? You were the light in my darkness But I was so used to the dark that nothing seemed real with you But it was It was and I’m sorry So I’ve come to one conclusion It wasn’t for the best

11. The Dark As I lay my head down to sleep I wish to hear my alarm clock beep That way I wouldn’t have the see the dark For I think it’s scarier than a shark Some may call me silly But the dark is ever so chilling What monsters are out to get me tonight? Will they run away from the glow of my nightlight? And what about the creepy creaks? Or the nasty sound of door hinge squeaks? I really want to run and hide For my troubles and fears are ever so snide I pull the covers far over my head I don’t think I’ll ever get out of my bed So I close my eyes and think of nice things And hope that darkness doesn’t fill my dreams

12. I’m tired of being ordinary, Doing only the bare minimum to get by I want to be a leader But fearless I am not What am I to do? Wish on a shooting star that will never come? But even if it did come, What would I wish? That I could be brave no matter what? I mean, everyone is afraid of something, But I’m afraid of being someone I don’t think I could change the world, But what if I could? I would never know unless I tried So now sitting here writing this poem, I’ve had a change of heart I should change the world I don’t know how or when But I should Unless

13. Unless Video

14. Rejects (Song by 5SOS) Back at school they all thought I was an outcast, car crash"A hopeless fool", they said to meAnd my girlfriend said I messed up, will I ever grow up?In the end, I'm not gonnaWhat was I thinking?Everyone sees itIt's not a secretThat I'm just a rejectSick of the systemDon't wanna hear itIt's not a secretThat I'm just a rejectI'm just a rejectMy teacher said I was mentally disabled, so unstableSo I'd stay in bed all daySave your breath, you can talk at me, but I'm not listeningIf this is a test, then I'm probably failingWhat was I thinking?Everyone sees itIt's not a secretThat I'm just a rejectSick of the systemDon't wanna hear itIt's not a secretThat I'm just a reject • They try to save me, but I'm too far goneAnd they call me crazy so I played alongAnd you wanna change me, but I'm on my ownLa da dadada, la da dada duh [2x]What was I thinking?Everyone sees itIt's not a secretThat I'm just a rejectSick of the systemDon't wanna hear itIt's not a secretThat I'm just a rejectI'm just a reject [2x]

15. Rejects Reflection This song reminds me a lot of myself and today’s generation. It’s the story of a school student who is a bit of a trouble maker and doesn’t fit in. They don’t want to comply to the limits and rules of school and such. The thing is, they know that they’re an outcast and aren’t afraid to show it. They’re not letting society control them. They accept and embrace their difference.

16. Social Casualty (Song by 5SOS) La lala, la lala da daLa lala, la lala da da(Woo!)Just a kid, it's all the sameGrowing up, it doesn't changeWho are they to try and put us down?Had enough of what they saySick and tired of all their games,Stand up and sing it with me nowLa lala, la lala da daLa lala, la lala da daSo save me from who I'm supposed to beDon't wanna be a victim of authorityI'll always be a part of the minoritySave me from who I'm supposed to beSo tell me, tell me, tell me what you want from me,I don't wanna be another social casualty(Social casualty)Just a girl who turned eighteenShe ran away to chase her dreams.And they said she wouldn't make it far.She took a chance and packed her bagsShe left town and didn't look backSo tired of wishing on the stars (wishing on the stars) La lala, la lala da daLa lala, la lala da daSo save me from who I'm supposed to beDon't wanna be a victim of authorityI'll always be a part of the minoritySave me from who I'm supposed to beSo tell me, tell me, tell me what you want from me,I don't wanna be another social casualtyLa lala, la lala da da (go)La lala, la lala da da (scream)So save me from who I'm supposed to beDon't wanna be a victim of authorityI'll always be a part of the minoritySave me from who I'm supposed to beSo tell me, tell me, tell me what you want from me,I don't wanna be another social casualtyLa lala, la lala da da(Social casualty)La lala, la lala da da

17. Social Casualty Reflection I love this song because it gives the message that you can make your dreams come true. No matter what you were told, you can do anything you want. You don’t have to follow the status quo that everyone expects you to. You can run away and escape all the people and authority figures in your life telling you to be a certain way. They’re only limiting what you can truly be.

18. Beside You (Song by 5SOS) Within a minute I was all packed upI've got a ticket to another worldI don't wanna goI don't wanna goThe silent words are hard to speakWhen your thoughts are all I see"Don't ever leave," she said to meWhen we both fall asleep underneath the same sky.To the beat of our hearts at the same time.So close but so far away.(Can you hear me?)[Chorus:]She sleeps alone.My heart wants to come home.I wish I was, I wish I was beside you.She lies awake.I'm trying to find the words to say.I wish I was, I wish I was beside you.Another day and I'm somewhere new.I made a promise that I'll come home soon.Bring me back, bring me back to you.When we both wake up underneath the same sun.Time stops, I wish that I could rewind.So close but so far away.[Chorus:]She sleeps alone.My heart wants to come home.I wish I was, I wish I was beside you.She lies awake.I'm trying to find the words to say.I wish I was, I wish I was beside you. There are pieces of us bothUnder every city lightAnd they're shining as we fade into the nightShe sleeps alone.My heart wants to come home.I wish I was, I wish I was...[Chorus:]She sleeps alone.My heart wants to come home.I wish I was, I wish I was beside you.She lies awake.I'm trying to find the words to say.I wish I was, I wish I was beside you.She lies awake.Beside you.I wish I was, I wish I was...She sleeps alone.My heart wants to come home.I wish I was, I wish I was...

19. Beside You Reflection Whenever I hear this song it reminds me of being somewhere new. This song really tells a story, so I think it is a perfect poem to display. It makes me feel sad sometimes, but it also reminds me that even when I’m away from the people I love, we still live on the same earth and that we’ll be together again soon. It can be hard to start over and move to a completely different place. It hurts, but you have to get through it.

20. Behind The Mask (Poem by Melisa Bernards Hiding the hurt, hiding the pain Hiding the tears that fall like rain.Saying I'm fine, when I'm anything but,This ache in my soul rips at my gut.My skin is on fire, I burn from within.The calm on my face is an ongoing sin.The world must stay out, I've built up a wall.My fragile lie will collapse should it ever fall.Loneliness consumes me, it eats away the yearsUntil my life is swallowed by unending fears.Waiting for someone to see I wear a maskAnd care enough to remove it, is that too much to ask?

21. Behind The Mask Reflection On my search for poems to analyze and write about, this one really stood out to me. There was a time in my life where I’ve felt exactly what this poem is saying. I still feel like this sometimes. This poem incorporates clever rhymes that make perfect sense. It is very emotionally deep. It’s personal to the poet, yet still relatable to the reader. There’s clear examples of rich figurative language such as personification that really make the poem come to life for me.

22. Dreams (Poem by Langston Hughes) Hold fast to dreamsFor if dreams dieLife is a broken-winged birdThat cannot fly.Hold fast to dreamsFor when dreams goLife is a barren fieldFrozen with snow.

23. Dreams Reflection This poem is short, but gives off such a strong message. To me it says that life becomes very bleak when you let go of your dreams and convince yourself they will never come true. When you leave your dreams behind, you leave yourself behind. No matter how hard life seems, you just have to push through it. The outcome will be worth it. This poem uses figurative language such as metaphors which makes them easy to understand.

24. Theme Study Essay I chose three songs for this project. The songs are “Rejects”, “Social Casualty”, and “Bedside You” by 5 Seconds Of Summer. These songs all have a similar message or theme. The songs are able to get the message across in a simple fashion. The message is to never give up on your dreams and to be yourself no matter what. These songs are very important to me because of the message it gives. The song “Rejects” touches a lot on the subject of being an outcast. Teenagers in today’s society just want to be heard and feel like they can be themselves. It’s about making mistakes when you’re young and living in the moment. The line in the song “Save your breath, you can talk at me but I’m not listening” and “If this is a test than I’m probably failing” tells how teenagers feel when they are at school. They don’t want to be told how to be perfect or have they’re intelligence judged by a standardized test. They just want to be accepted for who they are. I think that “Social Casualty” has a really great message behind it. It’s the story of a teenager who wants to get out of their town and follow their dreams. However, they are held back by the people in their life telling them that they’ll never be able to do what they want to do. My absolute favorite line from the song is “So save me, from who I’m supposed to be”. It’s basically a cry for help saying I don’t want other people to shape my future, I want to shape my own future. I don’t want people to expect me to be something I’m not. This goes back to the main theme in all three songs about being yourself. The last song that I chose by 5 Seconds Of Summer was “Beside You”. This song is a bit differently themed than the others. It’s really a story that’s about being away from the people you love because you followed your dreams. Sometimes you will have a career that will require you to be away from home. You won’t be able to see the people that you love every day and that can be hard. You have to find ways to cope with all your new surroundings. The line from the song “When we both fall asleep underneath the same sun” is a way the writer is remembering that they still live on the same earth as the ones they love. Overall these three songs are about following your dreams and not letting society control you and what you do with your life. No matter what just stay true to yourself. You will be happier because of it. Being a teenager is hard. You need somewhere to put all your feelings about life. I think that is the main theme that 5 Seconds Of Summer was trying to convey in these three songs.

25. Biographical Study Essay The artist I chose to highlight in this project is a band named 5 Seconds Of Summer. They’re style of music is mainly punk/pop/rock which is really unique to me. They have two albums out along with a few ep’s and singles since they’re still a relatively new band. They have a huge fan base which obviously includes me, that celebrate them and they’re music. The support of all they’re fans has helped motivate them in their career. I know they will have a long future making music together. The band consists of 4 members despite their band name being “5” Seconds of Summer. They are Luke Hemmings, Calum Hood, Michael Clifford, and Ashton Irwin. They all play instruments and have been since they were about 10 or 11. Luke plays guitar as well as Michael, Calum plays bass guitar and Ashton plays drums. They all grew up in Sydney, Australia. Luke, Michael and Calum all went to the same school while Ashton went to a different school and was a couple years older than them. They formed the band in December of 2011. For their first gig Luke, Michael and Calum needed a drummer, so they found Ashton on Facebook and he was up for the job. Mind you at this time they were only about 15 years old. In middle school and high school the 4 boys were not very popular. They were into a lot of punk and rock music, which wasn’t the most common thing to be into where they’re from. They were kind of like outcasts at their school, not to mention they’re grades weren’t the best. School wasn’t really for them. This is where I think the inspiration for the song “Rejects” came from. The song is about being in an environment such as school where you don’t really fit in and are kind of a trouble maker because of it. This is how 5sos felt as teenagers along with a lot of other teenagers today. 5sos got started mainly on the internet. They had a YouTube channel that they would post covers of songs they liked. They weren’t amazing, but people seemed to really like them. Of course there were people telling them that they would never be famous or that their band sucked. However they never quit or listened to the haters; they just kept doing what they loved. There was even times when their own parents said that the band thing was a bad idea and that they should be more focused on school. Their song “Social Casualty” reflects this time in their life on a larger scale. The song’s message is to never give up on your dreams no matter what anyone tells you, and that you shouldn’t let the opinions and impressions of others shape you who you really are and what you want to do with your life. 5sos never gave up on their dream of being rock stars, so good things happened to them. They ended up getting noticed by one of the most popular band, One Direction and got to open for them on their tour. Now they’ve had their own world tour and are doing another one this year. 5sos’s song “Beside You” is a story about how they felt when they went on tour for the first time and went to live by themselves in London. They had to pack up and leave their families to chase their dreams. The song tells that it’s hard to be away from people you love, but that you have to remember you’ll see them again and that they’re always with you in your heart. The song is slow and sad, which makes sense considering what it’s about. I think this is one of the songs that they’ve written that is directly about they’re life. The song is about a girl, however the girl a symbol for their family and friends at home that they miss while they’re away.

26. Overall Reflection Throughout the course of doing this project I feel like I’ve really come in touch with myself. The theme of my portfolio is being trapped in a dark place and trying to find a way to escape. That’s why the title is called “The Dark Chapter.” I have to admit, when we were first assigned this project, I wasn’t too thrilled. I don’t consider myself a very good poet, so the amount of poems we had to write scared me. However, once I started writing the poems, I actually liked how some of them turned out. I don’t really ever read poetry in my spare time. I’m more into fiction, fantasy and mystery stories. After doing this project, I’ve definitely come to appreciate poetry more, buy I can’t really imagine getting that much more in to it. I do feel like I’ve learned a lot from reading poetry and analyzing it. My horizons are surely broadened. This project overall gave a me a creative outlet in which I could express my thoughts and feelings. Even though I didn’t like this project at first, I’ve really come to appreciate it.

27. Works Cited Hemmings, Luke. Hood, Calum. Clifford, Michael. Irwin, Ashton. “Rejects” www.azlyrics.com Web 2014 Hemmings, Luke. Hood, Calum. Clifford, Michael. Irwin, Ashton. “Social Casualty” www.azlyrics.com Web 2014 Hemmings, Luke. Hood, Calum. Clifford, Michael. Irwin, Ashton. “Beside You” www.azlyrics.com Web 2013-2014 Bernards, Melisa “Behind the Mask” www.familyfriendpoems.com Web. 21 Feb 2015 Hughes, Langston “Dreams” www.poemhunter.com 1951