Poet Elle Kibbe spoke to the Multimedia Communications class on Wednesday, Nov. 9.  Elle was a long-term substitute teacher at BCS in 2018 for English 10-12 and graduated from St. Bonaventure University and then West Chester University in Pennsylvania with a Master of Arts in English with a concentration in Creative Writing.  Her book, Famished Landscape: A Novel-In-Verse, has just been selected for publication. Elle spoke about the writing process, from inspiration to drafting, from revision and editing to publishing.  She then gave the class feedback to help them revise their own poetry.  Below is a selection of poetry from students!  

Addicted to Being Unstable  

by Emalee Carman 

i don’t want to get better 

i don’t want to recover  

i’ve been like this my entire life 

what if the person I end up being 

is completely different  

than I am now 

what if, i don’t like that person? 

i don’t want that 

and i’d rather not find out 

i don’t want things to change  

but i cant keep suffering   

mental illness is all 

i’ve ever known. 

i find comfort in the 

chaos 

the thought of being better is scary  

and i don’t know why 

i’ve become addicted to being unstable 

because being normal isn’t my  

“normal” 

Happiness 

by Ally Hazelton

Happiness is yellow 

like the bright sun  

shining down  

on yellow blossoms in a field  

waiting for your mouth  

to curve up towards the sky  

happiness is yellow  

what happens when  

the sun goes behind the clouds  

and the blossoms die  

then your mouth curves down  

toward the ground  

and yellow turns grey  

but the cloud won’t stay there forever  

and the blossoms leave seeds.  

Teeter Totter

by Kate Calanni

Do you ever feel like you’re on a 

Teeter totter 

Moved with the slightest  

Gust of wind 

Changed by the different pressure of  

Weight 

Up or down is your only feeling  

Your only emotion  

Trapped in your mind 

Like a mouse in a maze 

You are your own worst enemy  

The slightest pestering or tension  

Can tip you down 

Like a paper airplane about to plunge into the ground  

But then you suddenly move up 

The weight suddenly moving down 

All the tiny voices disappear 

You’re in a different world  

And all you feel is blithe.  

Love

anonymous

“Falling in love is like giving someone a gun to hold at your heart and hoping they don’t pull the trigger.”

Falling in love

Never thought much of it

It’s never happened for me

But I think it goes a little like this:

Love

It’s like someone holding a gun to your heart

Maybe they will pull the trigger

Maybe they won’t

You will never know

Until it happens

BOOM!

Trigger pulled.

You were betrayed

Heart on the ground

You’re on your knees

Crying

You want them to come back

But do they?

No.

Because they don’t think you’re worth their time anymore

They tell you “Oh, honey it gets better! You’ll find someone new! Someone better!”

But does it?

Will I?

Because the love I’ve only ever known was him

The one who pulled the trigger

And now he’s gone

Gone forever

Forever.

Mystery Girl

anonymous

I was awestruck as I saw this child

She had hair golden as the sun

Eyes that sparkle like the sun bouncing off water

With a smile that makes diamonds jealous

I feel if I try I could see right into her lively soul

She makes life worth living, but she’s a mystery.

Ego

by Sam Lussier

Your ego’s inflating,

larger than ever

It’s suffocating—

will you ever shut up?

Definitely contemplating

telling you off cuz

if I’m being blatant,

you’re pretty dumb

This Thing Called Love

by Sam Lussier  

Love can build you up 

Or break you down 

Crush your soul 

or make it sound 

Too much 

And you’re rotten, 

Too little 

you’ve been forgotten  

Because you want love 

And you’re happy to receive it 

But when they don’t love you 

You don’t want to believe it 

When they do love you, 

You’re so high in the sky 

And you’re so happy  

You could just cry 

So their love turned the wrong way 

Is a knife to the heart 

When you know they won’t stay 

So you’re falling apart 

Love is happy  

But it can make you so sad 

You don’t think you can feel it 

Til’ it makes you feel that bad 

Really, I don’t understand  

this thing called love.