Short Story Studio: The Day I Ran Away

4/16/2017

Book Club

Since April is National Poetry Month, my librarian decided that we should write some impromptu poetry to celebrate. He gave us 5 pictures from Academy-Award Nominated short films, and as a group we came up with three words to describe each picture. Then we had to create a poem about the picture using the three words. I chose the picture from Pearl, by Patrick Osborne. The words were somber, lonely, and teenager.

This poem started out as a few lines describing a photo, but about a third of the way through, it turned into something really personal, and I am super proud of it. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it!

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The Day I Ran Away, by: Ashton Smith

It was a somber day,
The day I ran away.
When people back home think about me,
I imagine them thinking things that
aren't true.
"She was lonely," they say.
"An angsty teenage girl
who felt the need to defy the town."
But that's not true.
I want to get out into the world,
See things no one's ever seen before.
I want to impact the lives of my peers,
and show them the world is much bigger
than the one they think of as their own.
I want to bring people together,
and let them know that their problems
aren't unique.
There are people who have suffered,
lost,
recovered,
and moved on,
stronger than ever.
I want to experience as much as I can,
Because, one day,
I'm going to die.
My life will end,
and, unlike others,
I don't want that weighing feeling.
Regret.
"I wish"es, "I would've"s, and "I didn't"s
are things
I never want to experience.
And for that reason,
I'm going to determine my own life.
"I plan"s, "I will"s, and "I am"s,
are the only things
that will weigh me down
on that inevitable day.
And for that reason,
I decided
to run away.

I really hope you enjoyed my poem, and please, please, please leave your thoughts in the comments! I love when other people critique my work. :)

As she lets the creative juices flow,
Ashton

Only the very weak-minded refuse to be influenced by literature and poetry.

— Cassandra Clare, Clockwork Angel

2 Comments

1/3/2018 10:32:28 pm

Okay. I adore your poem. I was surprised at the turn it took in what could have been the typical musings of an adolescent girl who might lean towards the drama of life as a victim. But you’re not that girl, and your strength in leadership even shines through in poetry. Kudos!! 👏🏻

Ashton @ The Book Insider

1/3/2018 10:57:03 pm

Thanks stalker. ? I’m glad you liked it. I hope to find time to sit down and write more poetry in the future. I feel like my thoughts come out better by poems than by narratives. Old poems for me don’t have the cringe factor that old stories do, so rereading this over a year later still makes me proud. (And I’m glad someone recognizes my leadership. ?)