Life in a Letter Scholarship Slam
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Dear School,
I'm so sick of you.
I'd like to stay home ill and
just turn on the TV so
my mind can think of
something other than
statistics, français, and
how many essays are due today?
Dear all,
See the girl who walks alone,
whose smile was carved like stone.
Yes, the one who pranced around the room
and brightened up a path of golden flowers.
One day the problems came along,
Dear predator,
Mentor
Turned into tormentor
Pest now turned into past
Grudges, oh I loved my grudges
But I won’t let it hold me back
Dear future me,
I am from a softly lit night sky stretching out into the dawn,
a homely little cottage basking in its warmth.
Dear fellow dreamers yearning to satisfy their wanderlust,
I wish I could always be traveling,
Adventuring striking royal ocean waves.
Dear anxiety,
I feel a pain in my chest.
Is it you?
It's like someone is stabbing me
With a rugged knife.
Or like someone is gripping my heart tightly
With their sharp claws
and isn't letting go.
Thanksgiving evening my family was coming over,
I was so excited, I began to holler,
Helping set the table and spreading out the food,
Dear child, here's to us,
Do you see it?
Feel it?
Hear it?
Smell it?
Sense it?
Take a moment.
We all take risks in this game.
We either lose or win.
I would rather have a draw.
No one ever knows their playing
Until they have they see
Dear Women Around the World,
There are times when no one will believe in you,
Times when your strength is tested more than your knowledge,
Strength that lies in your mind, and not your muscles.
Dear Jensen,I wish the best for you and hope you figure out your way for our sake. I know you might quake from your journey, but please stand firm and do not forget who you are.
To the heart shaped rock
sitting
somewhere
along the beach in Brehat,
Climbing the cliffs,
exploring the tide pools,
Dear (unnamed/unquantified),
I will never be quite sure how I got to here,
to this isolated plateau,
this strange relationship
of fiction and non-fiction,
born of seeing
Dearest Adriana,
I can remember when the sun had shone,
So brightly through my car window,
As I drove hours and hours to finally behold
To my dearest friend,
I love you.
But I want to live my life.
Sometimes I hate being stuck in this place.
It’s dark.
Dear my ambition,
You must learn some modesty
You must learn to be humble
Otherwise you’ll burn too bright
And like a star
You’ll die
I admire your dreams and aspirations
Dear Time,
You never stop moving, just quietly go on passing
Day by day, week by week, year by year
Until one looks up to see that everything has changed.
Dear Time,
You never stop moving, just quietly go on passing
Day by day, week by week, year by year
Until one looks up to see that everything has changed.
Dear Self-Hatred,
You are the dark feeling in my body
Slowly drowning me in this hatred
Waiting to slowly chip away at me
Even the simplest words said
There’s so much I never told you, I have a stack of cheesy rom-com like
letters filled with emotions and feelings I could never fully express.
How much I wanted to be more than friends
Dear Present Me,
Why do you feel this way?
What makes you doubt
Your intelligence
Your beauty
Your worth?
Dear America,
I am sick.
I am sick and you cannot cure me.
Cynicism has seeped into my core, they poisoned me.
Dear Best Friend
When we laugh together until we're snorting and wheezing
Looking crazy to anyone who glances at us
Or when you smile at me without saying anything
Those are the times when I want to say
My dear heart,
You are broken, you are tattered, you are torn.
I am sorry for the way I scoff and scorn,
At what you feel and intend to mean,
for I am afraid of my darkened dreams.
Dear kid who groaned when it was my turn to read, when I raised my hand to ask another question because I got another question wrong, or when I didn’t finish the test on time,
It’s not because I’m lazy,
or dumb,
dear higher education,
please,
consider us a mutual friend.
I've been eagerly anticipating your inevitable arrival
for as long as I can remember.
you and I, we go way back.
Dear Mr. Kelly,
to have a community of common passions,
or common complaints.
either way, it is your kingdom,
Dear little me,
Hi princess, how are you?
Sad? Yes I know
I feel it too…
I feel your pain and your heartache
Dear Grandma Suzie,
You have changed me for the better,
you taught me to test my limits.
You have changed me for the greater,
you said make the most of every minute.
Dear Change,
There are days I wish you were considerate. Asked
Then came. Requested access
Then intruded. Inquired about my desires
Dear Happiness,
Why do you cease to exist
and yet are eternally present at the same time?
What is the reason that you are far away
Dear Friends,
I choked on a nosebleed in the middle of the night.
Coughing, I started up out of bed,
Suffering.
Dear "Peacemakers",
I have to ask, am I wrong to think like Marcus Garvey and Malcolm X?
Would you feel better if I had submissive written on my chest? Or better yet, branded on me?
Dear Society,
The world isn’t great, there’s loathing and hate
We can try to change it with religion and faith
With do gooders and kind souls
People who care
Dear Fear,
How are you?
I just wanted to check up on you.
You’ve been around constantly lately.
When are you going to go home?
Dear Anxiety,
We have grown so close one could say we’re friends.
Thank you for always being there.
Thank you for being the impending storm
Dear Mother,
Do you see me now?
Sitting in front of you, smiling, seething?
Mother, do you see how angry I am?
Do you see the anger you gave me,
Dear outside world,
I watch from the inside
as everything passes me by,
noises and people and my family,
I’m here,
trapped behind bars,
afraid and hungry,
Dear Failure,
The constant fear
Of you looming over me;
The constant terror
Of the shame you will bring.
I am barred in the shackles
That bind me to this prison.
Dear EE,
You left with out saying goodbye,
which made my heart melt in pain and sigh.
I know we never really seen eye to eye,
but you’re the only guy that I love and hate to say goodbye.
Dear Dimples,
I miss you…
Do you miss me?
My brain only allows me to remember all the good memories even though I tried to remember the bad ones and move on.
Even though you have only been gone for a few months
I loved you
And you gave me so much I didn't know what to do
You gave me not one, not two, but three kisses before you left me when you had to go
You paid for my meals even when I didn't want you to
...
To whom it may concern,
I wish to speak my mind a bit.
I hate them.
I hate that it wasn't me that clicked or fit into those hands of his.
Dear Little Me
I am not who you expected me to be
I was never popular, I stayed in my room; I stay in my room
Little Hermione, I barely passed high school by your standards
To: C.C.
Hey. It’s me.
After 3 months, I heard you wanted to talk.
So, I’ll go first.
First of all,
Fuck you.
To my Fear of March 19th,
You seem to me both
the obstacle and the
launchpad,
the launchpad for growth yet
the obstacle which demands the carry of
unrelenting, tireless
discomfort.
Dear Friend
You are precious to me
Yet I forget it
When I cannot see past moments of frustration
Screaming you're sinking, I know
How I know
That I can’t save you
On my own
Dear child on the city sidewalk,
You aren't defined by the rags this world has given you.
The cold bias with which the street regards you
Is not what you deserve. You are more.
Dear teen on the bathroom tiles,
Dear Mom,
I’m sorry I’m not who you want me to be,
I’m sorry I’m not perfect,
Not even a little bit, or even at all,
I am loud and, clumsy and, messy,
I make a lot of mistakes,
For the longest time, I walked hand in hand with you.
You led me like a foreigner in a bustling city full of life.
I wanted to experience the foreign world but,
To Whom I Loved,
I extend to you now the tendrils of memory that so often slip between my thoughts,
those sentiments I alone harbor and suppress,
Greetings, wondrous world of mine
I hope that you are doing fine
I know I'm not, but that's okay
That's not why I write today
I'd like to speak of those less known
Dear Future Me,
Whether you’re 18
20
36
50
Or lying on your deathbed,
I hope you understand that you are worth so much.
Dear Jake,
When the last glimpse of hope is too far in the distance for you to reach
Remember
Remember that you have braved the clench of depression
Dear him,
We were beautiful
Like the the breeze on a warm day
Like the peak of a mountain top, miles away
Your hands were soft
I stand there
In front of my mother
Once again
Hearing that you’re
“Too busy”
To spend time with your son
I stand there
To my high school bullies,
Hi.
I think
Being dead
Is no relief
Running through this eternal emptiness,
Wake up at night
all I can see is your face
ten years and still not right
I wake up and think about
if someday in the void of bright white light
To whomever it may concern,
Although it may not concern many
I just want my voice to be heard
I dont need a single penny
Yes I have food on my table
Yes I have a roof over my head
Dear heart,
You have often been overworked
Not because you've been lifting weights or running marathons but simply because
You've been wondering
When will everything be okay?
Dear Natalee:
Don't you know that the stars in the sky..
Resemble the twinkle in your eye?
The same ones that light up when finding an artist
Is what's going to take you the farthest.
Dear Natalee:
Don't you know that the stars in the sky..
Resemble the twinkle in your eye?
The same ones that light up when finding an artist
Is what's going to take you the farthest.
Before you came
Everything was dark
The fire was not lit
My life had no spark
Before you came
The future seemed bleak
Dear Past Me,
I saw a picture of you the other day
Smiling wide
Sitting in a reclining chair with space your small body couldn't fill
Dear, Lady Who Told Me to "Get it Together"
Nobody tells you how sharp it feels,
like a chord
snapping and curling up on the e-string of a violin,
how it means walking on the eggshells
To that tree on the hill
On that lonesome hill
That saw me fight
My spirit killed
That saw me rise
And roll through my free will
Dear God,
Why?
Why do we hurt the ones we love the most?
Why is there pain, fear, loss, greed, malice, bitterness, anger, and selfishness in the world and in my own life?
Dear Pencil Sharpener,
I once was a painter.
An artist with beautiful abstract art under her name,
To whomsoever that it may concern:
I write this as a spirit looking back,
Back, back, to you, and hope that you may learn
We can't be friends,That much I know.Ever thought of calling when you've had a few?'Cause I always do.Was I too drunk to say what I said to you?Was I too blind to go and see straight through you?These four words don't come easy,I don't love you.I
Dear me of the future...
I hope this finds you well, I'm unfamilair with poetry meter can't you tell?
To the Dreamers,
To those who spend their time immersed in books and stories;
Dreaming of a more fantastical world than our own.
Why? They ask.
Dear High School Freshman,
I remember you
I remember being like you,
I remember when my heart would pound and my hands would shake
Dear Society,
Have you already forgotten me?
For seventeen years you haven’t let me be,
But when I speak out you turn your back.
My Dearest K,
I don’t think about you often
10 times, 7 since last I saw you
Key it in
Each time
Sitting myself down
Tiny laughter and crooked smiles
Fuzziness that never reaches
Let us return to the beginning, O Great OceanYou have endured as much sufferingAs a mother whose wayward offspring Walk in disobedience, heads held high, recklessYou call in a voice carried as far as the windsBut no one hears your distressOr witn
To whom it may concern:
i.e. parents, teachers, friends, and family
Yes, here I am again
Pockmarked with the tears of self pity
And I love the scars on my face
I embrace them
I no longer wake up to the “26 reasons why you love me.”
Do you remember the bright red poster you made me?
Red was your favorite color.
Gone
by Kayly Hernandez
Out of the lives in the world
You had to walk into mine
No warning. No Sign.
Dear past,
I am sad to let you go.
The hardest part about it is
you're the only thing I know.
I am not heartened by the fact
that you chose to let me feel...
The darkness, the sorrow, and the pain.
Dear…amigos,
My Friends! How you've prepared me for what was to come!
Once I left I was optimistic about the future, excited about what was yet to be experienced.
Then it hit like a boulder.
Life is an adventure. An adventure that will continue on whether you take the reins or not. You will experience ups and downs.On this adventure you will get moments where laughter turns to painful sides aches and tender cheeks.
Are you happy now?
Are your days still blue
and your nights still bright?
Do you still think long and hard
Dear Ordinary Introvert,
Whoever you may be.
I understand the world's a scary place,
As far as the eye can see.
It's hard to take the first step.
To turn the handle on the door.
Dear Purpose,
I think about you all the time
Through countless seconds, minutes, and hours
You were always hard to find
My life continued with persistence
Dear Friend,
That is no longer a friend,
I truly wish you well.
I agree it's hard
To walk past you
And to know we have grown apart.
We have our memories
To whom it may concern,
In my journey of life,
I've been battling with grief,
In a war where no one is defeated.
When I was fourteen, Death took away my grandma.
Dear regret,
I guess I need to explain
Why I don’t address you
You remind me of my pain
Yet you are more than true
Honest from the day we met
To this day, still the same
But all you do is blame
To a boyfriend from long ago:
Looking back on things, you were foul
You spouted lies,
Painted false pictures with black and white
when you knew I preferred color.
Dear Number 7,
You're the one that keeps me up at night
But yet
I still wish I was falling asleep
Dear World,
Life is a movie, if you didn't know.
The plot is the consequences to the choices made.
When making these choices, please stay awake.
I saw you on the side of the highway this morning.
You stepped off the shoulder
And launched yourself into those golden trees.
A hiking backpack hugged your waist
And marked you with the title I covet most:
Dear Youth,
You were snatched from me one day
And I have been searching for you ever since
I was given a glance at what you were
And without you, I lack competence.
I don’t wanna grow to hate you, but I might
Trying to fight these thoughts running through my head at night
About how you were never there,
Dear Future Child(ren) I was only sixteen when I told your grandparents I never wanted to be like them.To start off on that note is probably the least positive I could've done, I'm aware.
Dear Heaven,
I am merely a stranger in search of a home
Your customs are rather unusual
Those of which I am willing to assimilate
Stories of your angels have been told in my land for ages
I did not ask for this,
life by my parents.
Have you seen the whispers?
Die in our presence.
Shall I start with a dear. a hello friend
To grab hold of this stormy mind.
The silence cripples and poisons your hour of rest
Lying there in hues or gray and blue.
What you need is not a physical comfort
They who believed, lost faith,
They who loved, gained hate,
They who joyed, now cry,
They now say only goodbyes.
They, who were to live, die
Dear whoever has picked this up. Life is as though seasons of the weather. Constantly changing.Snow melting as our tears of exhilaration and melancholy.
To the boy who stole my life,
They say sticks and stones may break your bones
But my back still aches from the knife
I never deserved because all I ever did was
I was told that the greatest invention of human history are cars
They cruise you around, they let you travel to places, they give you freedom
To the introverted, frightened girl I was:
It may sound generic but you need to know.
Things will fall into place.
There will be tears and loneliness.
Dear Mom,
I trusted you to believe in me and I trusted you to always care for me
I trusted you to be a mom
You said words that cut deep and I can’t forgive you
You first wrote about coming of age,
Sixteen, first album, ruled the Nashville stage,
Unrequited love and a boyfriend who cheats,
You made history - so young, fresh, and sweet.
Your next hit you became our Juliet,
Dear Black Girl,
Let me start by saying I apologize
for all the times I didn't recognize
the beauty in my brown curls
and shake in my thighs
for when I let others tell me
Dear My Shower,
“Don’t touch my stuff!” she yells
“It’s my turn for the T.V.” he tells
I’ve learned to share, compromise
Dear Lover (Conor),
I hope you know I love you more than I thought I could
I hope you know if you asked me to do something that I gladly would
I hope you know you bring a smile right upon my face
i wish i knew you
i wish i could play connect the dots with the constellations of freckles
that adorn your cheeks
like i used to
while you talked about your passion
and the future
Dear Unloved,
Did you know that I love you?
I bet you did,
Considering I say it basically every day.
Sometimes you don't respond,
You just smile and make a happy noise.
Dear Nobody,
Have you looked into the mirror lately
Have you seen who you are
Have you been pushed aside again?
Dear Nobody,
Do you realize your worth
Do you realize your dreams
Dear Nobody
Dear Lover,
Because I love you,
I let you walk all over me.
I forgave your infidelity.
I gave you my heart.
You replaced it with yours.
I have learned so much this year.I wish I knew where to start.This year has just meant so much to meDeep down in my heart. It was in this classroom now two years ago That I had made a friend.I may not talk to her anymoreBut friendship never ends.
Dear parents,
I want to exaplain myself the best way I can,
but most of the time I don't have a plan.
I want to succeed, you see,
when they tell me I can't.
Is it possible to defy the odds,
Dear Fate,
Look into my eyes
After all your pressures of time
And see how I have grown
In the adversity you have thrown.
I was a little girl
In a big, big world
Dear Anxiety,
You are the embodiment of my self-doubt if it took the form of a black rabbit overdosed with caffeine that somehow got itself into a cage of white lions.
You never think it will touch your family.But it does.You never want it to.But it happens.You never ask for the sympathy.But you get it.You never know what it means.But someone does.You never go back to being normal.But other people do.You never k
Dear Willow,
I tried so hard to you make you a ghost to me.
As i ran my fingers down spines that weren’t yours,
and listened to heartbeats that did not belong to you.
you kept it alive,
honey,
she does not deserve your love
yes
she may need it
clearly she is a broken soul
a lost soul
but it is not your job to find her
it is not your job to heal her
Dear No One,
you used to be
some one I knew,
some one so precious to me.
you used to glance my way,
showing what was shy of a smile.
you used to rest your hand on my cheek,
You are the one who is truly worthy.
The type of gift that I will always cherish.
You come from a culture that is earthy.
Our mutual love will never perish.
My mind is tough, but my heart was broken.
I’m too judgmental
not trusting
too self-conscious.
I’m terrified of
being forgotten
left alone
unwanted.
My chest is tight just typing this. What is wrong with me?
Young Lady,I know you are stressed,But do not fret over being the best.You are stressing too much,
Dear friends,
I believe in love, I believe in might
but I'm beginning to lose my sight
of everyone around me, everyone near,
everyone who might be close to hear
that I'm losing myself, losing me
Hello? Are you there?
I miss you.
This is just not fair.
The other day I found your missing shoe.
But how can I be the only one to care?
The one from last summer, the one that was blue.
Dear self,
Right now, life is coming at you like a wildfire
Or an iceberg in the way of a ship
But I wanted to let you know
To my Father
Every time we go to the beach, I am reminded of when we used to live with our grandparents because you nor Mom had enough to keep a roof over all of our heads.
