‘sometimes stare’: Self-Portrait Poems

After reading student poet Noor S.’s poem ‘Self Portrait with my Loose Hijab, ‘ students wrote self-portrait poems focusing on one aspect of themselves!

Self-Portrait with my loose hijab 

By Noora S. 

Trying to fix my hijab. I hear people scream

your hair is SHOWING! Even my mother 

Screams at me but I don’t listen.

I wish to shout back at them but won’t

Because I like to respect others even

If they don’t respect me. I feel my hair 

sticking out but it’s hard to keep the 

hair in sometimes.I get confused

on why people care. 

Lesson Note: “My thoughts are that you should be intuitive and playful in your choices and determined in your application. We are always full of worry until we begin the task, but I have found, in the end, things tend to find their way. Trust your intuitions…” – Nick Cave, artist.

Ms. Wright, 7th Grade

Self-Portrait with jacket

by Salina X.

I wear this jacket mostly

When I have a T-shirt on.

Friends ask why I wear it all the time.

Not all the time,

I just told you that i wear it

When I have a T-SHIRT on.

It’s the only thing to keep me warm

When I have a t-shirt on.

It’s a plain pink camo jacket

And some people call it dirty

By its sleeves.

Sometimes when I wash it

Some of the dark spots

Don’t come off.

Some people complained

Why it still looked dirty.

I don’t get why the dark spots

Didn’t come off,

But i just let it stay as it is

And still wore it. 

It’s because my own mother

Bought it for me.

Smile

By: Xingzhi Z.

I never smile much

But when I do

It can mean a lot of things

Some people think I’m just happy

Others know the truth

And I need to say one thing

Just because you see a smile

Don’t think you know what’s going on

Ms. Wright, 8th Grade

My shoes

By Alex R.

When I wear my shoes

I wonder how people will react. 

People react by noticing my shoes

But then I wonder who else would notice.

People always react to my shoes

But how will they react each time?

Underneath

Untitled

by Rainbow L.

My shoes are dirty like dirt, they used to be more pink until I stepped on a puddle.

When I wear these shoes, people react by telling me how dirty my shoes are, and I say to them,

I only have these shoes to help me walk, not to look better than yours.

But then I wonder how people could manage to have such clean shoes.

I sometimes stare at my shoes, embarrassed, then I just continue my day

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TESTIMONIALS

“Writing poetry makes me feel like I can see myself, like I can see my reflection, but not in a mirror, in the world. I write and I know I can be reflected.”
-Oscar S.

“Writing poetry makes me feel free.”
-Buenda D.

“Writing poetry is like your best friend.”
-Jessica M.