Solitude Island

Solitude Island a book of poems by Alaya Barnett

Solitude Island Cover.indd 1

6/3/14 10:59 AM

Solitude Island

A book of poems by Alaya Barnett

Copyright © May 2014 Alaya Barnett.

Illustration on page 6 copyright © May 2014 by Lewis Jones.

Cover Photo­Illustration: Serhat Demiroglu All other illustrations: Google.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or by any information or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

This book is a publication of Friendship News Network at Friendship Public Charter School, 120 Q Street NE, Washington, DC.

“when life gives you lemons make orange juice and leave the world wondering how you did it”

­Anonymous

Table of contents

7 Dedication 9 A Poem 11 Help 13 The House of My Dreams 15 Dig Down Deeper 17 Diaries 19 Hope is Here 21 Solitude Island 23 Keep It Simple 25 Friends 27 You’re Beautiful 29 Opinions 31 Success 33 Lemonade 35 Real Live Friends 37 Fear 39 You Don’t Know Me 41 She Watches Me 43 Stay 45 Finding Your Shine 47 Popular 49 Half and Half 51 The Perfect Story 53 That Smile 55 Thank You 57 I’m A Friend 59 Perfect Imperfections 61 The Last One 62 Thank yous 64 About The Author

Dedication

This book is dedicated to all the pre­teens and teens who feel lost and alone and who need to know that someone else their age feels the same way. You aren't alone in this world. Know that things always get better.

A Poem

know if you want to say something say it with pride. but if you want to write something you have to write it with heart. feelings of life every poem should be written with heart write poems with feeling …a feeling in your heart ...a feeling for a poem I love a great poem that’s written from the heart.

9

Help

i'm drowning, i'm dying i need help i'm choking, not joking i need help carry me, my soul to the person who will help me out of pain because i'm cut dont ask me what i'm hurt, i'm crying, in pain so help the sorrow i feel i'm losing, i'm losing it’s life or death i'm begging you please help

11

The House of My Dreams

The house of my dreams is not a Palace It isn’t a Mansion It isn’t a Castle The house of my dreams is an affordable cozy little place that my family can call home and be safe from harm It can be a Cottage It can be an Apartment It can be a Condo As long as I can have a home I can afford Weather my family grows from two to three or five I want to have a home that’s mine Backyard parties Family picnics Trimming the Christmas tree waiting for Old Saint Nick All of these memories made In the home that fits my needs The house of my dreams

13

Dig Down Deeper

life is like the earth you can’t get to its center unless you dig down deeper you won't find that treasure unless you dig deep enough some people dig until they find what they are destined for some people start digging but never finish and you choose how deep a hole you dig to find life’s gems if you think you’ve dug enough challenge yourself to dig down deeper

15

Diaries

diaries are your secrets your way out of the world your way of letting your feelings soar into space where no one can see them if it's your deepest secret let it out if it's an embarrassing moment let it out no one will see it because you hold the key to your diaries

17

Hope is Here

you expect me to have stage fright but I don’t you want me to stutter but I talk the talk i have a friend on my side a friend named Hope Hope is here she’s stuffing me with confidence,dignity and hope now I can pass this test play in the talent show and present to you this poem because Hope is here

19

Solitude Island

solitude island is not a place with houses because no one stays there it is not the place with sunshine it’s dark and pitiful you're alone and scared sounds of crickets fill the silent night you're drowning in silence you can't take it anymore and you start to roam hello can we talk the ship has sailed from solitude island

21

Keep It Simple

don’t make a story a book don’t make a sentence an essay keep it simple don’t make a small problem a stage play just leave it at that keep it simple don’t make it even more than what it is life is simple with one simple layout try to succeed and do good keep life simple

23

Friends

your friends are not the people you hang out with the most your friends are the people who walked into your life and stayed with you no matter what they will stand up to that bully for you they will make you laugh when you are upset and make that dark day shine like a sunny day you have to love your friends they love you like family so i want you right now to go to a friend a true friend and say “I love you my friend”

25

You're Beautiful

People say you're ugly and you believe them.

You maybe had one person who told you you're beautiful but you can't see it.

You're beautiful just because god made you.

There’s no need for make­up as long as you know you have your own shine.

I know that I'm beautiful not because people tell me but because I have confidence.

And I know I’m god’s child.

So listen carefully and you will hear millions of people say you're beautiful.

27

Opinions

it's my thoughts it's my belief you should not judge my opinion if i'm wrong let me be don't bully me into your point of view i say it's nice you say it's mean we have different opinions so just let it be let your opinion roam until you change it yourself

29

Success

you made it… you won… you have the trophy in hand everyone is cheering in your direction you got it… you're the best… do you hear what they say in the stands the crowd is yelling what’s spelled across your chest it's the word...

SUCCESS

31

Lemonade

When life gives you lemons you make lemonade.

I hear it all the time.

Lemons are so sour Lemonade is sweet But dreams are never sour to anyone.

You would never choose something so sour.

Now I would love to make a glass of lemonade so worry­free and refreshing So when ANYTHING gives you a hard time, make it easier...

In other words, make lemonade.

33

Real Live Friends

real live friends are the most caring people on the planet they make your day shine as if they are the sun they try to make you laugh when you are upset just to see your smile again you have your differences but opposites attract we are the craziest people and we are proud of it because we are real live friends we cry together we have seen each others' darkest sides we love each other because we are real live friends

35

Fear

fear isnt a thing it's a thought in your head if you're confident you wouldn't think to be scared fear doesn't make you weak it make you stronger because once you face fear you won't be scared when fear approaches fear is a dark cloud covering the sun and it's your job as the wind to blow that cloud away

37

You Don’t Know Me

Nobody knows me not even myself because I can change at anytime then I would have to find myself in my new personality my family does not know me I don’t talk about my feelings much and when you notice I’ve changed you will have to peel me like an onion so I want to conclude like this they dont know me you don’t know me

39

She Watches Me

she watches me be me how i act how i look at the world she watches me grow i'm 5 years old i'm 12 years old she watches me to protect me to soothe me to love me my mom watches me throughout my life she watches me be myself she watches me grow she watches me so that I will succeed because she loves me and i love her and i watch my mom to learn life’s lesson and I hope she never stops watching me

41

Stay (to my father)

Stay with me for the rest of my life to get to know me better stay to love me stay because you care because you want me to be happy even though you haven’t been there from the start stay for the big finish the grand finale to watch me blossom into womanhood stay so we can learn each other stay

43

Finding Your Shine

finding your talent is sometimes hard to do but finding what makes you special should not be challenging

finding out what shines in the dark is easier than tying a shoe or eating a pie

finding your shine is important so you can have hope so you can stay strong

so go find what makes you loveable what makes you, you go find your shine

45

Popular

everyone wants to be cool everyone wants to be considered one of the popular kids everyone has their own thoughts of popular but i say popular isnt who has nice clothes but who is loved by lots of people because of their kindness not the new phone or shoes because popular people are known for their kindness and how social they are not because of their looks

47

Half and Half

it’s the other piece 50% of the whole it’s the other half like an orange, cut in two or half of a room half is pink half is red half and half just like your personality you can be this way you can be that way if you like drawing one time then reading the other then that’x­s like a split halve half and half is your personality

49

The Perfect Story

The perfect story is not a fairytale not a myth not a drama it’s more like a personal narrative Your life story is every story you can think of it can be funny it can be sad it can be happy it’s a book of fairytales a mystery like no other it’s your everyday life it’s your life story what I call the perfect story

51

That Smile it's a sign of happiness a sign to show the day is great it's that smile of yours that’s worth millions it's prettier than flowers brighter than the sun your smile is the key to a nice life you have 1,000 reasons just to smile go find every single one because that smile of yours also makes me and everyone else smile it's that smile

53

Thank You

thank you friends and family who stayed with me my whole life thank you for giving me the joy and pride that i needed to be happy thank you for standing up for me my friends and thank you for taking care of me my family and thank you all for shaping my life

55

I’m a Friend

she’s a shy timid girl everyone picks with her they say she burns her eyes with her unpleasant looks but not i, i'm a loyal kind girl and won't let that happen to an innocent girl i am a friend so let me help you lift up your eyes let them shine now the sun shines on us both because you have dignity and i'm a friend

57

Perfect Imperfections

nobody is perfect but those flaws of yours is what everyone adores about you that outfit of yours is out of style but everyone commented on its glam you have the shortest hair in class but nobody thought that braids were lame you have tiny hands but you rescued the $20 stuck in the vent so all of the things you thought were weird that you thought was abnormal are just fine they are you're perfect imperfections

59

The Last One

the last marker the last necklace the last scrap of food but never the last poem the last pencil the last sheet of paper no computer but never the last poem they are never ending like a mile like a thought like a dream so it may be the last of me but never the last poem

61

Thank You

There are a lot of people I would like to thank here but I would like to start with my mom. If it wasn't for her I wouldn't be here right now. She has helped me through thick and thin… broad and narrow. She is the only one who can tolerate all my talking...

I talk way too much. I also know that even if I do something wrong… she will always love me to bits.

Thank you mom.

Next I want to thank all of my teachers. Without education I would not be able to write this book. My teachers stayed with me if I didn't understand the lesson. They made sure I learned a little something something. My writing teachers encouraged me to do my best­­ even if I didn't want to... I guess the effort I put forth made me a better writer. I can't forget my elementary school teachers because they gave me the basics to actually grow. Ms. Robin Gray has been there most of my school life and has helped me all the way. All my teachers have been there for me, so I thank you.

Now its time for my friends. The ones who are actually there for me no matter what. I love you guys to bits. You are the friends who motivated me to write this book. Maliquia Hawkins, Denyjah Griffin,

62

Destiny Wright, Mary Crews, Arlissa Bilal, Rabia Samdani, Janazia Shoffner, Kuymaury Jones, Shadawn Fleming, Lewis Jones and London Bass have done at least one thing to help me with this book. I thank you guys. Stay there for me as I will for you.

And I want to thank the one who helped me publish.

Ms. Kaufman has helped me a lot even if I didn't get exactly what she said. She still helped me publish this book. Without her this wouldn't happen at all even if I still wrote poetry. So I have to say thank you.

Finally... you would never expect this, but I also want to thank all the people who bullied me. If you never bullied me, I would have never felt such intense feelings and written them down. I still don't have a liking for you, but you guys kinda toughened me up.

63

About the Author

Alaya Yvonna Barnett is a young poet in Washington DC. She was 12 years old when she wrote this book. Alaya grew up with her mom and three siblings. In elementary school she was bullied a lot and that inspired her to write a poem to express her feelings. The bullying was intense for a girl like her. Alaya found herself unhappy and she thought about suicide. Of course Alaya’s mom found out because she told her mom everything. Mom immediately took action and the bullying stopped. As a result Alaya has confidence in herself and has made lots of friends. In the 6th grade, Alaya began to show her poetry. In 7th grade she won the Housing for All Writing Contest and presented her poem at a rally for affordable housing in Washington, DC with a poem called “The House of My Dreams” (find it on page 13). That was a big moment for Alaya. That was the first time she recited a poem in front of lots of people including Mayor Gray. Her friends and family loved her poetry, so she asked a teacher how she could publish a book. The teacher helped Alaya document all of her poetry and in a short period of time and with a lot of work they got through it.

64

I wrote solitude island to show kids and teens that they are not alone. Today in society we get judged on any and everything. We get stressed trying to fit in. Just as you are going through this, I am too. Bullying, stress, growing up… I know how you feel. I wrote this book to actually tell you that even if you feel like you’re the only one, you’re not. So I hope that everyone of you who reads this book of poetry and who really takes the time to understand the point I’m trying to make, will feel more secure. I’m living it too, I know how you feel.

-Alaya Barnett

Solitude Island Cover.indd 2

6/3/14 10:59 AM