Cambiaré Mi Tristeza (Poetry Portfolio)

This is actually a project I had to do for my creative writing class. The formatting is a little funny because I had to copy and paste it!! Sorry about that. Just some poems, hoping you can find some joy, inspiration, or hope out of them!!

Poetry Portfolio

Cambiaré Mi Tristeza

Rachel Johnson

5/21/2013

Artist’s Statement

            I have enjoyed poetry and journaling since the eighth grade. We did a unit on the movie, Freedom Writers, and we had a notebook we had to journal in at least once a day. After my grandpa died, I began writing a lot of poems. Some were about missing him and wishing I could have told him how much I appreciated him. Some were about other relationships and some were about the overwhelming feelings I was experiencing.

            My writing process for this portfolio was fairly smooth. Some poems I wrote when I had a thought or feeling I could start with. Other poems I took from the prompts we had in class and I used those ideas to start the poem.

            The title of this portfolio is “Cambiaré Mi Tristeza” which is Spanish for “trading my sorrows.” I had the opportunity to serve in the Dominican Republic where I saw a ton of poverty and unfortunate situations. The one thing the Dominican’s shared was their joy in God. No matter their situation, they traded in their sorrows for the joy of the Lord. Many of my poems are based on negative feelings, my broken past and negative relationships, but no matter the circumstance I will trade my sorrows for the joy of the Lord.

Poetry Definition

            Poetry is many things. It’s more than just words on a page. It’s feelings, experiences, and dreams. It’s the way the words are strung together, the way they’re arranged on the page, and how the writer expresses those words. Poetry is something that can make a reader cry, laugh, or even provide enlightenment. Poetry is a way I can express my thoughts and feelings in a healthy way. Poetry is infinite because it can be written by the author with one specific meaning, but be interpreted by the reader in a thousand different ways.

            Poetry is a form of artwork. The writer must craft a way to bring their ideas across with a specific meaning. Each piece of poetry has such a different mood and tone. Another cool thing about poetry is that it can be anything from a picture, like a calligram, to a word, to a line, to a paragraph, to a whole song. I like that poetry can be so abstract or incredibly straightforward, yet both can have such deep meaning.

            I love the way poetry can have an impact on my thinking and the way I view different situations. Often times after reading or writing poetry, there seems to be an “ah-ha” moment where I gain a deeper understanding, or a whole new outlook on a certain situation.

Music is probably my favorite form of poetry. The way the artist uses music to enhance their writing can bring a whole new level to the poetry.

Another favorite type of poetry for me is the Psalms from the Bible. There always seems to be a Psalm that relates perfectly to my feelings or situation. I believe the Bible to be fully true, so it is cool to me to have truth written out in a poetic form.

I Wish You Were Here

Villanelle

I wish you were here

I miss you

I still hear your whisper in my ear.

I want you near.

The last I saw you…probably a quarter ‘til two.

I wish you were here.

To this day, suicide is a great fear,

I heard about how your faith grew.

I still hear your whisper in my ear.

How can one just disappear?

Stuck to you like glue

I wish you were here.

Her voice on the phone is all I hear

If only you had pushed through

I still hear your whisper in my ear.

You were so dear.

If I could go back, I would undo

I wish you were here

I still hear your whisper in my ear.

Seeing You

Villanelle

If I could just see you,

the darkness would fade.

I’m letting go of all I’ve held onto.

Your spirit fresh and anew.

My day would be made,

if I could just see you.

All of the regrets…there’s more than just a few

I’m on the verge of a tirade

I’m letting go of all I’ve held on to.

Maybe I’d be made new

My heart is so frayed.

If I could just see you.

I need to see you,

I’ve prayed and prayed.

I’m letting go of all I’ve held onto.

I know who I’ll look to,

I won’t be afraid

If I could just see you.

I’m letting go of all I’ve held onto.

The Veil

Sestina

The day has come

nerves skitter within me

time passes slowly

as she covers her face

in the shimmering lace of the veil.

Today is the day.

It’s her dream day!

All her friends had come.

She laughs behind her veil

trying not to think of me.

Beauty dances from her face

as she breathes slowly.

Giving up, her thoughts slowly

pour back in. Each day,

the look on my face,

the way I said “come,”

the first time she saw me.

The tears fall behind the veil.

She remembers my veil

as she walked slowly

by the black box – me.

She’ll never forget that day.

Peace will never come.

Distress covers her face.

I’d lift her chin and touch her face,

but even spiritually, there’s still a veil-

one she asked to come.

She tries to forgive herself, slowly.

She remembers that day.

She remembers me.

The seats have been filled with friends including me

she breathes, wipes her face

and is ready for her day

ignoring air separating the veil

down the aisle she’ll walk slowly

look up, finally inviting me to come

I’ve been waiting for this day, it’s finally come

learning to forgive, slowly, joy finds her face

Now in remembrance of me, she tears the veil.

Blame

Sestina

The first time we met,

I was entirely astonished.

She changed my life.

Everything seemed so perfect.

I was blinded to any flaw-

even that sense of pride

Oh that pride

I wish I had never met.

Definitely her biggest flaw.

To this day I am astonished

at how someone so perfect

could ruin my life.

I guess blame for my life

shouldn't fall on her pride, 

but my expectations of her being perfect.

Expectations that were never met.

I shouldn’t be astonished.

Expecting too much was the flaw.

 

This time, it’s my flaw.

It’s my life.

I’m left astonished.

I’m left without any pride.

Reality, anger and hurt I met

realizing nothing is perfect.

I quit, my life isn’t perfect.

I have flaw upon flaw.

I ruined every time we met.

I ruined my very own life.

But it was her pride,

and yet she isn’t astonished.

So why should I be astonished?

I’ll move on. She isn’t perfect.

I’ll pick up my pride

and move past my flaw.

I’ll move on with my life

and forget we ever met.

I still can’t get through life, it’s so far from perfect.

I’ve lost my pride, because of the hurt from her flaw.

My impression when we first met leaves me astonished.

Us

Free Verse

The past cuts me

like stumbling over jagged

        rocks

I try to erase it

forget it

forgive it

As you lay new jagged

        rocks down

on our path

it becomes harder and

        harder to

forget it

forgive it

I want you.

I want your friendship

your touch

your love

your encouragement

I want you in my life.

I want you walking by my

        side.

 For our battle is not against

        flesh and blood.

This battle is not about

me

verses

you.

No, it’s us verse the world.

So please,

no more jagged rocks.

My hands and knees are

        bleeding

from the wounds.

Please.

No more.

I only

want

us.

Just One More Day

Free Verse

If I could go back

to any day possible

any day at all

I know where I’d go.

I’d go to the last day.

The last day I got to see

        you.

We could laugh

and we could chat

and then you’d say

        goodbye

just like you did before.

“See you later”

but this time,

I’d be prepared.

I’d know

just

how

long

later is going to be.

Not a day,

Not a week,

Not a month,

Not a year,

but a lifetime.

If I could go back,

then I would get my

one

more

day

with you.

But then again,

I’d be left standing,

alone

wishing for

just

one

more

day

with you.

Homework Assignments

Rhyme Scheme: Alternate

As I lay in my comfy bed

my eyes skim through the pages cheerfully.

The story is played out in my head,

and I understand fully.

My pen flows across the page

as I scribble out the depths of my thoughts.

My entire brain begins to engage,

bringing up all the battles I’ve fought.

Staring at the blank computer screen,

fingers slowly drift across the keyboard.

Assigning this paper was just plain mean.

This wasting time, I cannot afford.

When it’s my choice,

I wouldn’t want to be doing anything else.

But when it’s not my voice,

I’d rather be doing anything else.

My Abandoned Bicycle

Rhyme Scheme: Enclosed (with slant)

My bicycle sits in my garage,

unused and abandoned

like it has for forever landed.

The spider webs  create a fog.

Hanging upside down

with all the others

it’s as if they’ve lost their mothers.

My bicycle has an everlasting frown.

I thought I’d never leave it,

my blue and silver bike.

I thought I’d take it on a hike,

But ever since I got my car I haven’t thought about it one bit

The day I turned sixteen

I left my bicycle at home

I never thought I’d leave it alone,

now I drive my car like a queen

Making it to the End

Rhyme Scheme: Terza Rima

School is almost done,

that’s what they always say

I feel like it’s already over, already jumped the gun

Watching the countdown to the very last day

My motivation is zero

here at the end of May.

I need a hero

to come and save me.

I know I’m gonna miss it though.

As long as I keep my grades above a D,

I’ll be walking across that stage

Me and my diploma – meant to be.

It’s really hard to gage

if I can make it to the end.

I feel like I’m locked in this cage.

I’ve said it over and over again,

I hate school.

I can’t wait for it to end.

Seeking Truth

Rhyme Scheme: Simple 4 (with line rhyme)

The darkness washes over my brain

leaving spider webs throughout my mind.

Sometimes it seems like too much,

this dragging daily grind.

It’s hope that I need to find,

walking through all this.

The clouds are getting thicker

it’s not something I can dismiss.

Stuck in an abyss,

I just can’t concur

where I went wrong.

I cannot do this alone, that is for sure.

Nobody can infer

what’s been going on for so long.

Lost inside my own heart and mind

maybe the solution has been here all along.

Renewed

Rhyme Scheme: Alternate and Enclosed Tercet

Day dreaming about tomorrow

what it may hold

Can I let go of this sorrow?

I’ll stand bold

or at least so I’m told.

I think of all the changes and begin to doubt.

My face drops to a pout.

I sit and I worry and I worry and I worry

but worry don’t work.

Although the future is blurry,

Although my fears lurk,

I’ll give my doubts a little smirk.

I will put my trust in you

My faith renewed.

Hiding Place

Rhyme Scheme: Enclosed

I need a place to run.

I need a place to hide.

In a friend I need to confide.

My life seems to weigh a ton.

I try to hide in songs

let the beat pump inside of me

as the lyrics send me into a mystery

I pump it through my headphones all day long

I try to hide in my car

Gas pedal pressed to the floor

my silver Camry, I adore,

but maybe it’s time to raise the bar.

So let your love be my hiding place.

Wrap me in your arms,

away from all of life’s harms.

Only then will I no longer be on a chase.

Life Lessons

Syllable: Tanka

If you are sunburned

and it is snowing, go back

to where you came from.

Matching socks is a huge must.

Don’t forget to have some fun.

Escape

Syllable: Fib

If

I

cannot

hop or trot,

Can I frolic out?

If I can’t mosey or tiptoe

Can I roll, sneak, run, meander, or skip out of here?

Again

Syllable: Haiku

How come you left me?

I know I’ll see you again.

When will again be?

One Day

Syllable: Haiku

I’m prone to wander,

run away, shrink back, and hide.

One day, I will stay.

The Bright Gloom

Syllable: Tanka

The sun shines brightly,

but my heart is grey with gloom.

This contrast stumps me.

It cannot be long before

my heart glows brightly again.

Freedom

Syllable: Haiku

The car engine revs,

gas pedal pushed to the floor.

This car. My freedom.

Quitting

Anaphora

I quit

I can’t handle this anymore.

I quit

It’s too much.

Too hard.

I quit

It hurts too much

I quit

there is no point

I quit

I’m too messed up

I quit

love isn’t worth it

I quit believing lies.

I quit working for acceptance.

I quit searching for love

I quit,

I give it all to you.

I quit living for me

and start living for you.

Depths and Dust

Where I’m From

I am from

          the beginning

I am from

          the dust you form

I am from

          the depths of your

       knowledge

          the bottom of your

       heart

I am from

          a mistake

          disobedience

          doubt

I am form

          a fallen

          mangled

          world

I am from

          doing things on my

       own

          over and over

I am from

          working to gain

          love

          and acceptance

I am from

          shame

I am from

          the hands holding

       the world

I am from

          the freedom you

       gained for me

I am from

          you.

Smiling

Free Choice: Free Verse

Hanging out with friends

smiling

Walking into church

smiling

Goofy conversations

smiling

Listening to friends

smiling

Late night phone calls

smiling

Masking the pain

smiling

Waving goodbye

for the very last time

smiling

Pictures, memories

every single one

smiling.

Shells

Free Choice: Free Verse

All she is

is just a shell

Does anybody know?

“You seem like you’re doing better”

She smiles and nods.

but inside

she feels pain, anger, turmoil

the tornado spins and spins

until there’s nothing.

nothing.

All she is

is just a shell.

Moving Forward

Free Choice: Free Verse

The world keeps turning

but I’m still stuck

in the same place.

At first

I didn’t want to move

I didn’t want to move forward

Now, I try with all

my strength

to take just a little,

baby step

forward.

But, my feet are like concrete,

my legs like led.

When I try, it hurts,

when I finally take a step,

I fall back down.

It’s so hard,

why can’t I just

take

one

step

forward.

Love

Dealer’s Choice: Acrostic

An acrostic is a poem or other form of writing in which the first letter, syllable, or word of each line, paragraph, or other recurring feature in the text spells out a word or a message.

   the

Longing is

Over. His love is oh so

Very true. His love is

Everywhere, even inside of you.

REFLECTION/

ANAYLSIS

Embers

Revision: Free Verse

I still remember

the first words

you said to me, kindling

        a small flame.

“Really red eyes.”

I chuckled

You shook my hand

November 11^th, 2012

Now your memory burns

like a blazing fire

Even as I put out the

        leaping flames,

the embers are burning

A bright, pink glow

hot to the touch

just like my heart

As the heat escapes

there’s nothing but

cold

dark

nothing.

Some of my best days

some of my best me

was with you

But the memories burn

        my soul

like hot embers burning through a warm blanket

I wish I never met you.

I just want to forget.

You

Your memory

Your touch

Everything.

 

Capturing a Hurricane

Revision: Free Verse

My journal has been

      empty

the one bound by black

      leather

But not the one

inside my head

Deep, dark thoughts

explicitly scribbled

      throughout

Sometimes happy,

      mushy thoughts

My journal contains

a turmoil of feelings

Confusion sinks

deep in my bones

as the feelings fly.

They beat

and whip

against my head

like a hurricane

coming to destroy me

Writing it down allows

      me

to capture the hurricane

      among the pages

and close the book

before it consumes me

When I can’t handle the

      hurricane

I just ignore it

Avoid my journal

at all costs

Ignore it

as it brews

somewhere else

inside of me

Until I can’t hold it

and it all comes flowing

      out

onto the pages

of my journal

One

Revision: Free Verse

One thing I love hearing –

the simple words, I love you two

Three things I have

Four you: Faith, hope, love

Five days in a dragging work week

Six soda cans intertwined with cheap plastic

Seven days in one week

Eight times around a track is just two miles

Nine dirty socks scattered throughout my room

Eight class periods in a dark, dreary school

Seven days until I do it all again

Six things constantly on the to-do list

Five minutes in a good song

Four best friends

Three sisters

All two do life with

All under one God

Storm by Lifehouse

Poem by Other Author

I know you didn’t bring me out here to drown

So why am I ten feet under and upside down

Barley surviving has become my purpose

Because I’m so used to living underneath the surface

If I could just see you

Everything would be all right

If I’d see you

This darkness would turn to light

And I will walk on water

And you will catch me if I fall

And I will get lost into your eyes

I know everything will be alright.

I know everything is alright.

Storm by Lifehouse

Commentary

I first heard this song a few days ago on the Lifehouse Spotify station. This is only the second verse (first stanza) and the chorus (second and third stanza). I’ve always liked the band Lifehouse and for the past week have been listening to their Spotify station constantly. Lifehouse is a band with Christian influence and I believe this song is talking about a time in life that is rough, like being stuck in a storm. The chorus is being sung to God, the one who can help you through the storm. In the first stanza, Lifehouse is questioning why God has brought them to this point in life because they know God has a purpose for this storm; they just can’t seem to find that purpose yet. They also say their purpose is just to survive. I think this shows their exhaustion from fighting through the storm. The chorus talks about how if they could just see God, then everything will be alright and all the darkness from the storm surrounding them will turn to light. With God, they can walk on the stormy water, and when they stumble, God will catch them. They are using free verse for this song. They use rhyme scheme in the first stanza of AABB, Two couplets smashed together to make a quatrain. The second stanza is another quatrain, but uses alternate rhyme, or ABAB. The third stanza is not a quatrain and uses no rhyme scheme. A metaphor is used in the first stanza with reference to a storm and drowning in the waters. They’re actually referring to the struggle of life and how life throws us around sometimes.

Rest by Nevertheless

Poem by Other Author

Hey where have you been?
Where did you go? Looking for innocence?
Shame is holding you down, selling you out, won't you come back again?

'Cause you've found a way to go on for days, pretending to live
But you are not ok, with all of that weight, you need to give up

Come now just let it go, let it fall down, let it all flow like
The water that's rushing in over your soul 'til there's nothing left
Won't you come to me and rest?

Hey I know that you're scared to look in my eyes,
When you know that something's wrong
I'll wait as long as it takes, for you to find grace, it's been here all along

'Cause you've found a way to go on for days, pretending to live
But you are not ok, with all of that weight, you need to give up

Come now just let it go, let it fall down, let it all flow like
The water that's rushing in over your soul 'til there's nothing left
Won't you come to me as you are

Dirty and broken with all of the scars, from all the unspoken
With all the words that you wanted to say but you locked them away inside

Come now just let it go, let it fall down, let it all flow like
The water that's rushing in over your soul 'til there's nothing left
Come now just let it go, let it fall down, let it all flow like
The water that's rushing in over your soul 'til there's nothing left
Won't you come to me and rest?

Rest by Nevertheless

Commentary

This song is called “Rest” by Nevertheless. It has become recently one of my favorite songs. It has helped speak directly into my life and the things I go through. It also really relates to the theme of my poetry portfolio. There isn’t really a rhyme scheme in the poem, but the chorus is like a refrain that repeats.  The chorus does contain a few pieces of figurative language. The chorus resembles and anaphora when it repeats “let it” about three times in a row. There is also a simile where it reads “let it all flow like the water that’s rushing in over your soul.” The simile is comparing the way we as humans need to let things go like the way water just washes everything away. The word “rushing” is also an onamonapia. It reflects the sound water actually does make when it crashes and rushes over rocks and down a stream. In the chorus the line “let it all flow like” is repeating the “l” sound making it alliteration with consonance using liquid consonant sounds.

Imagery is also very prevalent. “The water that’s rushing in over your soul” provides a mental picture of water rushing down a stream. Also the lines about “as you are, dirty and broken” helps to relate who we are as humans to dirt and brokenness. One of my favorite things about this song is the dialogue. The song is spoken directly to the listener with the greeting of “hey.” Also, repetition is shown through a question the artist asks to the listen multiple times- “won’t you come to me and rest?” In the big picture of the song, there is a huge example of symbolism. It’s a story of God talking to one of us about how we’ve gone through so much and tried so hard that now we need to seek rest in Him. The water rushing in the soul could be a symbol for the Holy Spirit who comes to bring peace.

Topics by Nevertheless

Poem by Other Author

She spent the night out with a guy
Who gives attention when she cries herself to sleep
I heard her say
So, she gives him what he wants
As long as he can make her feel okay
But she's not okay

We avoid the topics
We make the kids have secrets
When they are exposed
And everyone else knows
We'll say we never knew it
That they had a problem
'Cause if we would have known
We surely would have solved it
But we can't, it's too late
I said we can't, it's too late

He's skipping classes 'cause he hates them
And hopes he passes not to take them all again
I heard him say
He escapes them with the pills
The ones he takes to make him feel like he's okay
But he's not okay

God, You've got to save us
We hide behind the faces that we make to disguise
The things that we're ashamed of
And all the ugly things that make us close our eyes
They make us close our eyes
Why do we close our eyes?

Topics by Nevertheless

Commentary

This song addresses the idea that society hides major issues in people’s lives. We all pretend we have it all together, when in reality, none of us are perfect. We’re all falling apart in our own ways. We pretend not to see others issues and struggles, because as the chorus suggests, if we knew, then we’d have to do something about it. We, as a society need to stop hiding these issues and pretending they don’t exist. These issues will not solve themselves, and cannot be addressed until we admit they exist.

There is rhyme used throughout the song, but no specific rhyme scheme. There is repetition at the end of the first and third stanza with the “make her/him feel okay, but she/he is not okay.” The artist uses imagery when they talk about secrets being “exposed”, expressing the idea that it was something to be kept hidden. I like how they tell stories of individuals in the first and third stanza. It makes the issues more real, relating it to real life. I like how the author addresses “we” in the second stanza. It unites us as society and also makes us all responsible for the injustice being done to these individuals and the issues they struggle with. I like how the last stanza changes and talks to God about how we don’t recognize these issues, we mask them with fake faces.

Quitting

Commentary on Original Work

In this poem, I tried to express the feelings of wanting to give up. I use line breaks to emphasize the repeating “I quit.” The poem starts with the feeling of “the world is on my shoulders” – I can’t handle it, it’s too hard, it’s too much. Then, about three quarters of the way through, something changes. I made the last lines into one stanza to show this better and to emphasize the change. I’m giving up “believing lies” that the world tells me and begin focusing on the Truth. In the beginning, it’s a negative “I quit.” It turns into a positive “I quit” when I start quitting negative things. The beginning part of the poem shows the frustration someone experiences when he or she gets caught up in this world. If somebody is focusing on the world, eventually it will get to them. It will seem like too much, too big, more than we can handle. Because it is. The last lines of the poem show the joy and freedom that comes when you turn your eyes toward God. It’s like a weight has been lifted off your shoulders. You don’t have to work for acceptance; you’re already accepted. You can quit searing for love; God already loves you. By living for God, my life has purpose, so I give my life to Him. Every part of it. I quit thinking it’s all about me and start living for Him. That’s when I quit saying I quit. Some of my close friends would find this poem humorous because often times when I’m either upset or frustrated, I give up and say I quit. For a while, my friends had a rule for me that I couldn’t say “I give up” or “I quit.” So this poem is funny in that I use anaphora and the line I chose to repeat is “I quit” and ironic in that I turn the negative I quit into a positive I quit.

One

Commentary on Original Work

In this poem, I tried to use numbers and counting in a way to talk about my life. Some things I mention are more significant than others. I think anyone finds joy in hearing “I love you too” after you told somebody you love them. I manipulated the word “too” in the second line, since I’m using counting and numbers; I used the word “two” in place of “too.” I also manipulated the word “for” in the fourth line. I used “four” in place of “for”, again to keep the pattern of numbers and counting. The three things I mention in the fourth line are three of the most important things in my life: faith, hope, and love. The fifth line, “Five days in a dragging work week”, shows the daily grind. For me currently, the five days is at school, but later in my life it will be a work week. “Six soda cans intertwined with cheap plastic” can be looked at on the surface level as exactly what it says – six soda cans connected with that annoying plastic. Metaphorically, I wrote it as fake friendships.  I have been lucky to find a small group of true friends, but for most of my high school days I was one of six soda cans, intertwined with cheap plastic. There wasn’t much to separate the cans from one another. It’s also a reflection on our society and how many of our relationships are cheap, shallow, and meaningless. The seventh line is simply reminding the reader of the repetitive seven days in a week, every week. The eighth line talks about two miles being eight times around a track. While this is true, and a significant part of my life since I’ve ran track for seven years, a metaphorical view on this line is that sometimes we do a lot of work in life for small achievements. Eight laps sounds like a lot, but only equates to two miles. While two miles may be a lot to some, two miles is hardly half of a distance run for me. “Nine dirty socks scattered throughout my room” refers to the reality of my room. For one, I’m always finding dirty socks in my room: on my floor, in my bed, in my track bag, and there never seems to be an even number of them. I always end up missing a sock. I used an alliteration to describe the school as “dark” and “dreary.” The eleventh line again refers to seven days in a week. I referenced this number of days in a week again to emphasize the day in and day out routine. “Four best friends” and “three sisters” refers to the circles of influence in my life that have the greatest impact on my in this time in my life. The last line refers to my belief in God and that He is over everything. The poem as a whole counts up to nine and then starts counting back down to one. I did this because often times when we are younger, we are always looking ahead. We have a countdown to our first day of high school, 16^th birthday, 18^th birthday, and 21^st birthday. As we get older, we start realizing the end is coming near and we stop looking ahead and wishing our life away as our time slowly runs out.

The Veil

Commentary on Original Work

A sestina is a strophic poem with a 6 lined stanza followed by a tercet.            

This poem is meant for the reader to interpret it in whatever way they need to. It tells the story of grief, loss, and acceptance. The bride is preparing for her wedding day, something that is so very exciting. The narrator of the story isn’t the bride though, it’s another person.  Throughout the poem we begin to see the bride – although it’s her special day – still feeling sad. She is reflecting back on memories with the narrator, some that are happy and some that are sad. It is implied that the narrator has passed away.  The “black box” is a symbol for the death of the narrator, and also a veil often has a negative connotation. At the end, the bride decides to forgive the narrator and comes to peace with her loss. The veil is torn between them and they’re able to once again be friends, even with the distance.

            Personification is seen throughout the poem with “nerves skitter,” “beauty dances,” and “thoughts pour.” Symbolism is also seen in the veil. At the end of the poem a veil isn’t actually torn, but rather this wall of unforgiving hurt and greif gets diminished. Sensory images are when describing the nerves in the first stanza and then also in the fifth stanza when the narrator talks about lifting her chin and stroking her face. Imagery is seen in talking about the lace shimmering from the veil, the tears falling from her face, walking past the black box, and the seats being filled with her friends. Repetition is seen in the times it says “she remembers.”

The poem is a poem to help those who also deal with grief to come to terms within their own heart and discover the true acceptance in forgiving someone, and not holding the blame on yourself.