Nikki Chapman ARHU 242

Sitting outside the waiting room The woman at the front desk seems a bit annoyed Understandable, everything must run smoothly The chairs are stiff and gray The walls are decorated brightly, orange and yellow With inspirational quotes In white text. I sit Bundled up in my coat A purple scarf my friend knitted me And a hat from a store. My aunt is antsy to get out She shows a picture of her dog She's been in this kind of place before And doesn't care to relive it But she hides behind a smile on her face. My grandmother appears Walking slowly, but firmly She tells me to follow her That I should see this for myself That it would be good for me. When I go back, My grandfather is in a chair, with tubes sticking out I think that he's happy to see me But he'd probably be happy to see anyone He smiles He gets up and hugs me When I was little he'd squeeze so tightly I'd laugh But today I'm the one squeezing His strength is faded I have

Poems can help people take abstract concepts and transfer them into tangible ideas. It can help us achieve a better understanding of emotions that are harder to define. It can help someone realize that there are other humans experiencing the same kinds of emotions as them, or give someone a deeper understanding of the experience of someone from a different background. A poem can be good for entertainment and being pleasing to the ear. A poem can be about a heavy subject matter and be used to recreate a difficult emotion or event so that it can be experienced safely. The hardest part of writing a symbolist poem was conveying the meaning of it without explicitly saying what the meaning was. Instead of explaining what the emotion was in literal terms, I had to use metaphor and simile to compare and contrast the emotion with more tangible experiences. For example, if I just stated that I was anxious and my hands were shaking, it wouldn't be as relatable. However, if I compare my shak

Deep breath, inhale, exhale, Head between my knees, The air turns artificial, stale I'll keep my eyes shut, squeeze The air is a napkin on the tongue Looking up, I see the source Smoke is filling up the hallways Lurking to the back of the throat, coarse The more the air dries up, The more my eyes water, My hands become fishes that have escaped the bowl, Shaking, trying to find some normalcy If only I was free of the smoke, I could push open the doors and Feel the fresh, winter air Smacking my face like a wake up call But the smoke follows me I escape to a diner, staring at a matchbook Behind me, the windows have clouded up The more one tries to get a better look, the more it obscures They say even non-smokers will have gray lungs From just existing in the city From being exposed to those who hold the embers between their fingers And inhale their fates The churches, the schools Have become factories Pumping out thick, black clouds When they could be

I believe that meaning is important in poetry. Even if a writer doesn't intend for a poem to have a meaning, it's impossible that someone could read the poem and not derive some sort of meaning out of it. Meaning can be derived from the poet's choice of words, imagery, the structure of the poem itself, and the rhythm of the poem. I think a poet would have to actively try to make a poem that is meaningless. It would be nearly impossible unless the poet writes a completely literal description of something, in which case it would be more of an article than a poem. The very act of writing a poem means that what is written will be interpreted by the person reading it. There are some visual arts where I believe it is okay if the creator did not intend a meaning, but left the meaning of it up to interpretation. For example, an abstract painting. However, when it comes to film-making and animation, which are part of my major, I believe having meaning is absolutely essential. If y

Writing Process The number one thing that I need to do before writing is turn off any music/audiobook/podcast/etc. I can't concentrate on writing if there's music playing, especially if it's music with lyrics. White noise like fans is generally okay. When it comes to the environment I like to write in, I prefer to be in a well-lit area, usually with natural lighting. This means that writing during the late afternoon is preferable. I think it's important to write in a neat area with few distractions, so I'll usually clean my desk off and organize it before I start writing. I prefer writing in my own room to writing in the library where there's a lot more open space and distractions. If I am writing a response to a poem or another piece of writing, I'll read the poem out loud and write down anything that stands out to me in a notebook. Then I'll write my response immediately after I finish reading so the piece is still fresh in my mind.  I've n

Art by Konstantin Razumov Two Sisters Two sisters One pink, one blue Each has her own special color, you see Pink for the oldest, the color of roses and cheeks Pink is the color of leadership Blue for the youngest by only two years Blue like the Shadow of a late afternoon Always following behind Blue like an aquarium or an iris Looking up to her big Sis