Some days I sit in class and instead of taking notes (yes, I know that's what I should be doing), I jot down lyrics or quotes in the margins of my notebooks. Other days, I pull out a piece of paper and just start writing down my thoughts into what's supposed to be a poem. I don't claim to be the next Walt Whitman.

In fact, I don't even claim to be a poet at all, but there's something about it that's calming. Sometimes writing poetry is the best form of expression.

For example, it can reflect the pain that someone is going through when they're struggling with their self-esteem...

Help me I’m dying every day

a thousand times, a thousand ways

I’m drowning in a pool

of tears shed from self-doubt

I’m burning alive from the desire

to be someone else

I’m choking on the pain

I feel when I look in the mirror

I’m being smothered

by the stares from those around me

I’m buried alive with the words

of self-loathing I have

I’m floating away on the idea

that I’ll never be enough

Help me…

I’m dying…

Every day

Or it can reflect the struggle someone is going through when they know that their judgments about themselves are invalid, but they can't seem to pull through on their own...

On the days when my heart

is so heavy it weighs down my prayers,

send one up for me.

On the days when my light

is fading out, keep me alive

through memories.

On the days when I

can’t face myself, love me

despite the darkness in me.

On the days when I

am feeling all too human, remind me

that we all are.

I don't pretend to be a poet. I know that my writings will never be praised as revolutionary.

What I do hope, though, is that perhaps my little musings, my self-reflections, can connect with someone out there. That they can help someone realize that they aren't the only ones going through pain.

I hope it reminds people that we all are human, we all have days when we feel less than stellar, but we are all in it together. I just want to remind people that they aren't alone. That's why I write my poetry, and that's why I've decided to share it.