Write Girl LA

I joined the Los Angeles based mentor program, Write Girl, and we had our first official workshop last Saturday. It is a fabulous program for high school age girls who enjoy writing and need a place where that passion can bloom. If you're interested, check them out here: www.writegirl.org

I'd like to post a piece I wrote with my mentee on Saturday. The workshop was centered on memoir writing and journaling, but my girl was a poet. Getting her to write about herself was difficult, to say the least. So, I asked her to write a poem about herself. I joined her. Here is my piece.




Something


I prefer to observe
and speak when spoken to
hiding behind a stoic facade.
But not always.

Family is a shit storm of emotions
Screaming
Yelling
An argument again.
And after a five minute silence
Peace
Unity

There's one of me outsiders see
and another me my family sees.
They're both me -
two sides of a one
constantly switching, overpowering
Fading
when I am both
a spinning coin
I am happiest.

The history of me is long and winding
Proudest moments
worst decisions
kindergarten, high school, college
Memories flutter like dead leaves on a tree
wind blows
and my attention
moves
to another worn leaf
another memory
Bittersweet, love and heartbreak.

I am a puzzle
that even I can't see completed
where all the pieces constantly change
but still fit when snapped together.

I am
Something
to be observed.