Nicole poetry anthology

Nicole K.

POETRY ANTHOLOGY

Opening & Dedication As you may already know, this anthology is all about identity. Whether collective or individual, everything about it; all poems, pictures and analysis, are related to identity in some way.

There are many people on this planet who already have a great career and/or path to tell them where to go and what to do to reach that success every individual desires.

However, there are also numerous individuals who have

absolutely no idea what they want to do with their life. Sure, they may have a general idea of what they don’t want to end up as or be, but the thought of the future scares them. Whether you are 6 or 60, this could apply to you.

So, I dedicate this anthology to all those individuals who don’t have a straight sense of direction.

To all those people out there who are scared for the future ahead of them and wish for their childhood to come back

To all the ones who are finally out of school, on their way to finding their real interest(s) and career(s).

And lastly, I dedicate this anthology to every individual who may not be completely sure who and what their identity truly is. I wish you all the luck I can give.

Enjoy.

Nicole K.

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POETRY ANTHOLOGY Nicole K.

Table of Contents Poetry Anthology Nicole K.

Misguided Ghosts -------------------------------------------------------------------- Page 3 Paramore Who You Are ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Page 4 Original Dancing Girl ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Page 5 Paula N. Untitled ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Page 6 Original Nothing ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Page 6 Ken Mikowlowski My Life. That’s Me -------------------------------------------------------------------- Page 7 Original Things ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Page 8 Lisel Mueller The Daily Routine --------------------------------------------------------------------- Page 9 Original the lesson of the moth -------------------------------------------------------------- Page 10 Done Marquis We Are Women ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Page 11 Original Works Cited Page -------------------------------------------------------------------- Page 12

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POETRY ANTHOLOGY Nicole K.

Misguided Ghosts Paramore 1st Poetry Analysis & Poem.

1, 2, 3, 4 I am going away for a while I'll be back don't try and follow me I'll return as soon as possible See I'm tryin' to find my place It might not be here where I feel safe We all learn to make mistakes, And run from them From them With no direction We'll run from them From them With no conviction I'm just one of those ghosts Traveling endlessly Don't need no roads In fact they follow me And we just go in circles Now I'm told that this is life Pain is just a simple compromise

So we can we get what we want out of it Someone care to classify Broken hearts and twisted minds So I can find, someone to rely on, And run to them to them Full speed ahead Oh you are not Useless We are just Misguided ghosts Traveling endlessly The ones we trusted the most Pushed us far away And there's no one road We should not be the same I'm just a ghost And still they echo me They echo me in circles.

The term Misguided Ghost refers to someone who has lost their path in life and yearns for it to magically reoccur. The band Paramore is able to explain this insightful and complex idea in a heartfelt song that is less than four minutes long.

There are effective usages of repetition to emphasize the significant factors of the song, such as the line: “And run, from them, from them, with no direction.” And the line “And run, to them, to them, full speed ahead.” Every line speaks to how confusion and indecision is everywhere and is more powerful than many may think. Numerous individuals can say that they have a certain path for their desired life, but how will they get to that path? And what happens when they get side tracked and aimlessly stumble off? I often find myself sauntering around in circles fluctuating between ideas of what direction I should be heading to get to some path that will lead me to the future I crave. At such a young age, this uncertainty has pervaded my life. Whenever I read or hear the line, “travelling endlessly”, I start asking myself questions. I frequently ask myself, ‘should you really be doing this?’ or ‘will this affect your plans for the future?’ It shocks me how numerous amounts of my peers already recognize what decisions they have to make in order to reach the pot of gold awaiting them at the end of their path. I believe that there will be a day when I know exactly what I want to do. But until then, I’m stuck being a misguided ghost.

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POETRY ANTHOLOGY Nicole K.

Who You Are Original 2nd Poetry Analysis & Poem

Accept who you are And forget about their thoughts Be proud of yourself I find that there are many people in our society who wear masks everyday.

People who behave differently than what and who they actually are. I can work out why they may do this, but it shouldn’t be significant enough to act unlike whom you truly are. Our society can be very judgmental. We always think about appearance before personality.

It’s inhuman and unmannerly, but it’s the way our brains function and work.

Aesthetically pleasing objects or people catch our eye and we grow interest in them faster. However, there are different perceptions of beauty for each

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individual. What one may think can be the complete opposite of another. Just because one person may dislike you, doesn’t mean every one else will. This poem is trying to encourage more people to just accept who they are and be proud of themselves. Why not just showcase yourself and who you are to the world? If people were to do this, it'd be much more obvious as to who will stay by your side and truly love you for whom you are. Without your own support and self-confidence, how will there be anyone out there to support you?

POETRY ANTHOLOGY Nicole K.

Dancing Girl Paula N. 3rd Poetry Analysis & Poem

Walking down the street to her next lesson She’s prepared for the long grueling hours.

Some may even think it’s her obsession When she leaps, turns, and dances with power.

Now she changes into her white tutu And slips on her brand new satin pointe shoes.

She scraps her curls back into a up-do Ready now to dance with nothing to loose.

At last the other girls have arrived.

Each one rushing to her place at the barre.

Eager for the teacher to help them thrive.

She jetes and twirls like a shooting star.

But no one knows that she is forced to dance, That she yearns for freedom and fair chance.

Your judgment on an individual should not be distinguished from what appears on the surface. You must delve a little deeper to fully grasp who someone is and what identity they truly own. That is the main; overarching theme this wonderfully written poem is attempting to communicate with us. This piece is a sonnet consisting of 3 quatrains and 1 couplet and simply employing a complex abab, cdcd, efef, gg rhyming scheme. Each line before the concluding couplet allows the reader to assume that this girl is a passionate and ravishing dancer who loves what she does. When I deciphered the turning point in this poem, my heart was torn. The phrase forced to dance broke my heart. No one should be imposed to do something they do not wish to do. And yet, I understood what this girl endures. I am a dancer and I often find people assuming that I utterly love to dance with all my heart and soul. Don’t get me wrong; dancing is an interest that I have taken part of for 10 years now.

However, I feel obligated to dance. Since I have been dancing for 10 years, this activity feels like the only consistent thing in my life. Consistency is what I endeavor to achieve in life, even if it bores me to death. I don’t want to end something that I’ve been trying to achieve.

Nevertheless, I’m starting to feel required to continue dancing. All the high expectations and requirements frighten me and the competition in dance petrifies me. I yearn for dance to just be a way for me to express myself, but I’ve gotten into the vying heat of dance that I don’t think it’s possible for me to escape.

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POETRY ANTHOLOGY Nicole K.

Untitled Original 4th Poetry Analysis & Poem

Contours of her face, creates a beautiful maze.

Her hair falls every so lightly, like a soothing waterfall.

The seams of her body, is a mesmerizing painting.

Her appearance is pure perfection, something that’s desired by many.

But if only they knew, all the struggles she goes through.

Each line within this poem is written to show a comparison of two wholly contrasting things and how they can be interconnected in some way. A face creating a beautiful maze. Hair that falls like a waterfall. And a body, seen as a mesmerizing painting. Vivid imagery was exactly what was accomplished. Prejudice and critical minds are everywhere. An impression of someone is always based on their physical appearance. It’s a shallow way of thinking, but no one can deny this fact. This

girl is said to be stunning. Her face. Her hair. Her body. “Pure perfection.” However, what is really going on behind all this flawlessness? A secret?

Characteristics of someone’s identity could be hiding deep within them without their peers even realizing. We all conceal some part of our identity from the rest of the world. Whether or not it’s a struggle to continue looking a certain way, we all secrete something from others. Secrecy is part of all of our identities.

Nothing Ken Mikolowski 5th Poetry Analysis & Poem

This poem is short and concise, and yet so deep and insightful. The more notable words are placed on their own line, such as the word poetry and the word surely, to emphasize the importance. Obviously poetry to Mikolowski is something that is very significant in his identity. However, he knows that one day it will be replaced. We all have something crucial that makes up a major part of our identity and we hope for it not to leave us, but we all know that someday, it will. Whether this thing may be a person, or an interest. One day, things will be replaced because of they no longer have an existence, or you have grown boredom towards it. You could replace the word poetry in this poem with anything that is part of your identity and it will be true.

It’s the way humans’ work. Our lives will end and we will be no longer being part of someone’s identity and we easily grow apathy towards something and crave for change, which means replacement. It’s unavoidable.

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can replace poetry in my life and one day surely it will

POETRY ANTHOLOGY Nicole K.

My Life. That’s Me. Original 6th Poetry Analysis & Poem

Unsure.

Completely Sure.

Dependent.

Independent.

Weak.

Strong.

Creative.

Uncreative.

Determined.

That’s me, my life.

Undetermined.

This concrete poem is not in the shape of anything specific. In fact, it’s not in any shape, but it shows the comparison of two contrasting words by being on opposite sides of the page. Even the title and the concluding phrase are opposing of one another: “My Life. That’s Me.” and “That’s me, my life.” I often find that I am unsure of what to associate myself as. When someone asks me what kind of person I am, I tell them one thing but not the other. I like to say I’m independent, but I’m not. And I call myself opinionated, but that’s not exactly the case. This poem speaks about how I can be one thing, and yet, the complete opposite. Identity is something very complicated and is hard to decipher.

Because I have been through situations that have taught me valuable lessons, I know what kind of a person I want to be, but I may be the complete opposite. My brain tells me one thing, while my actions and behavior does another. Maybe this is just a phase, or maybe this is who I’ll be for my entire life.

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POETRY ANTHOLOGY Nicole K.

Things Lisel Mueller 7th Poetry Analysis & Poem

What happened is, we grew lonely living among the things.

So we gave the clock the face, the chair a back, the table four stout legs which will never suffer fatigue.

We fitted our shoes with tongues as smooth as our own and hung tongues inside bells so we could listen to their emotional language.

And because we loved graceful profiles The pitcher received a lip, The bottle a long, slender neck.

Even what was beyond us we recast in our image; we gave the country a heart, the storm an eye, the save a mouth so we could pass into safety.

“What happened is, we grew lonely living among the things,” so we decided to change everything we could to fascinate ourselves. We gave inanimate objects faces, legs, tongues, lips, hearts, etc. so that we could share the opportunities and emotions that we have and experience. So, that we could relate to more than to just one another. This poem is pure personification. It encourages the reader to use their imagination to picture the most outrageous thoughts. Such as tongues inside bells and pitchers with lips, however, these inanimate objects already possess these attributes but because we don’t normally associate these features as the ones we may have, it sounds a lot more

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unusual. Changing is part of everyone’s identity.

Whether it’s intentional or not, it is bound to happen. This poem speaks to how humans like to change their surroundings to please themselves.

Friends are changed if you don’t enjoy them.

Houses are changed if you have lost interest. Hair is changed if it no longer hits your standards.

Everything is changed to satisfy ourselves and we all have this attribute within our identity.

POETRY ANTHOLOGY Nicole K.

The Daily Routine Original 8th Poetry Analysis & Poem

Shoving, pushing, tormenting and taunting.

See her cry and hate on her rude school peers.

The names and the games truly are haunting.

Everyday she lives in terror and fear.

She only wishes to be respected.

Accepted for who she actually is.

She craves just to be what is expected.

Too bad no one knows she’s an actual whiz.

Every moment seems to be a battle.

The world against her, she crumbles and falls.

She’s treated as if she is a cattle.

But she is really the fairest of all.

Don’t listen to all the people near you.

And realize you are strong, tough and true.

I have been bullied and it’s the worst feeling you could possibly experience. Everyday, you are tormented until there are no more tears that could fall from your eyes. It concerns me when I see that there are more and more kids my age, out there who commit suicide because of their peers.

It’s heartbreaking and discomforting that our own kind could cause the death of another one of our own. I am strongly against bullying and it is a large part of my identity. Being a person is hard, and unfolding your identity is even more difficult. Of course, we all end up discovering who we truly are, and ourselves but the process of getting there is grueling. Being the prejudice species we are, we judge before we sincerely know someone. But humans are also strong, physically and mentally. Just because one may think a certain way, doesn’t mean that you can’t ignore and disregard their opinion. It’s unimportant what someone may think of you. Your opinion on yourself is what really matters. “Don’t listen to all the people near you. And realize you are strong, tough and true.”

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POETRY ANTHOLOGY Nicole K.

the lesson of the moth Done Marquis 9th Poetry Analysis & Poem

i was talking to a moth the other evening he was trying to break into an electric light bulb and fry himself on the wires why do you fellows pull this stunt I asked him because it is the conventional thing for moths or why if that had been an uncovered candle instead of an electric light bulb you would now be a small unsightly cinder have you no sense

plenty of it he answered but at times we get tired of using it we get bored with the routine and crave beauty and excitement fire is beautiful and we know that if we get too close it will kill us but what does that matter

There are two completely opposing identities within this poem. One that plays things safely and is narrow minded; the man, and the other that is spontaneous and receptive; the moth. After each one finishes speaking, they end their statement with a question. What the author, in my opinion, was trying to accomplish was to get the reader to think deeply. “Have you no sense?” and “but what does that matter?” could be interpreted divergently. I believe that the lesson that this author is trying to allow us to comprehend is to stop being so careful and to reach a little more for what we want. Many individuals’ identities, including mine, contain the thought of being cautious and aware of what is being done. But after reciting this poem, I may want to reevaluate.

Life’s short, might as well make the best of it. Another thing that this poem can be related to is the fact that every living organism craves beauty and excitement and that this mentality is part of everyone’s identity. We all desire something that is more intriguing and exhilarating than what we already have. That’s just who we are.

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POETRY ANTHOLOGY Nicole K.

We Are Women Original 10th Poetry Analysis & Poem

We are weak, not strong.

We only cry to show our feelings.

We are always in the kitchen.

We are never athletic.

We are always quiet and not opinionated.

We take two hours to fix our hair.

We are dramatic and take things too seriously.

We are gossipers and rumor spreaders.

We are women and we will always be women.

“We are woman and we will always be women.”

Stereotypes rule our society. What we anticipate of someone is always placed under certain and specific categories. If you genuinely think about it, it’s twisted and warped. Our society already gives us part of our identity before we can even speak. I was born female. This means that I will love shopping and that I won’t be strong and brawny. It means that I will cry and whimper a whole lot and gossip during all my spare time. It is inevitable and cannot be changed. If you look around our society and pay attention to all the females, you’ll see that we’re not all the typical, emotional and weak individuals our society makes us believe. Take a look at our premier of Alberta. Alison Redford is the first female premier to hit Canada. She proves that female, are in fact, not weak, but rather strong.

Standard and conventional images of a certain group of people are not always true and should not be a part of anyone’s identity.

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POETRY ANTHOLOGY Nicole K.

Works Cited Page From September 23rd - October 5th, 2011

eLyrics World: Misguided Ghosts lyrics. http://www.elyricsworld.com/ misguided_ghosts_lyrics_paramore.html. October 5th, 2011.

Harrison T | Photography. Design. Paramore - Misguided Ghosts - Single. Flickr.com.

From Yahoo! http://www.flickr.com/photos/harrison_t/5671721356/. October 4th, 2011.

Creators not listed. Poetry. blogspot.com. http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-hrN5ZdV1kpw/ TVfWW-QlSQI/AAAAAAAAAuQ/I8ClEGyI7j4/s1600/poetry.jpg. October 4th, 2011.

Creators not listed. Light-bulb. everythingsimple.com. http:// www.everythingsimple.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/Light-Bulb.jpg. October 4th, 2011.

Creators not listed. question-mark. therproject.org. http://therproject.org/wp/wpcontent/uploads/2011/03/question-mark.jpg. October 3rd, 2011.

Creators not listed. confusion. ayushveda.com: women’s magazine. http:// www.ayushveda.com/womens-magazine/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/ confusion.jpg. October 3rd, 2011.

Creators not listed. Alison Redford Take Victory. October 2nd, 2011. media.mmgdailies.topscms.com. http://media.mmgdailies.topscms.com/images/ 37/3c/33ef4d6d4053a55eac86bd7a6631.jpeg. October 3rd, 2011.

Creators not listed. CANADA WINS GOLD. blogspot.com. http://2.bp.blogspot.com/ _3pzXydA_9sg/S4cwRcRrhlI/AAAAAAAAAG0/pPMpP3pafSI/s400/ CANADA_WINS_GOLD_2010.jpg. October 3rd, 2011.

Creators not listed. Famous Five. collectionscanada.gc.ca. http:// www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/obj/015002/f1/0424130101.jpg. October 3rd, 2011.

Mueller, Lisel: Things. Page 104, Good Poems for hard times, Keillor, Garrison.

September 23rd, 2011.

Marquis, Done: the lesson of the moth. Page 111. Keillor, Garrison. Good poems for hard times. September 23rd, 2011.

Mikowlowski, Ken. Nothing. poetryfoundation.org. 1991. http:// www.poetryfoundation.org/poem/242578. September 25th, 2011.

Special thanks for my fantastic sister who took a few of the photos I used within this anthology. You are amazing.

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POETRY ANTHOLOGY Nicole K.

I hope one day we will all be able to depict our true identities and share it to the rest of the world. But until then, remain strong and live that life of yours to the absolute fullest.

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