Home, the one place where I don't feel alone.

Where the blue crystal skies

& the green hills lie.

Is where I want to be.

If only I was in Italy.

The fresh clean air

and the soft wind in my hair

Make me feel at ease

If I could, I would never leave

But Brooklyn is where I must be.

Although, knowing where you going

is knowing where you're coming from

& I come from the place

where the sun is in your face.

But I also come from the place

where the beach is your backyard

Life isn't all that easy, it's actually kind of hard.

Puerto Rico- you're where my heart is.

All the times I had with you when I was such a little kid.

You'll be with me forever,

when it gets hard.

& when the hard gets better.

Ireland, oh, the stories that I hear

Of how beautiful you are.

the hills and hills of grass

and how the time can just pass

the sweet smell of nature

Its something you can't deny.

You don't want to leave so badly, you almost want to cry.

This is where I come from.

There's more than what meets the eye.

You have to look deep inside.

To see, where someones true beauty lies

I'm proud of who I am.

As I go through life saying "I can"

as long as I follow my dreams

even through the pain and screams.

I might not know where I'm going, but I know where I come from.

Poem

Pep Rally

Why do they force us to come to these stupid pep rallies?

I don’t want to be here.

I’m not feeling peppy, and the pep rally isn’t helping.

These things are only set up so that the cheerleaders can show off,

And all the boys can drool over them -

Especially Andrea Herkimer.

I don’t actually hate Andrea, since we’ve never spoken.

           This poem has always been one of my favorites. It wasn't just a poem that I read, liked, and moved on to the next one. It actually made me think. I felt like I and other people could relate to it on many levels. It had a much deeper meaning then what it came across as.
           I feel like this poem explains how most teenage girls feel. We're upset most of the time, envy other girls, and want boys to like us. This is hard to deal with because we feel like we have to be perfect. Image, jealousy and popularity are such a big part of girls' lives, which is why this poem was so easy to relate to.
           I think this poem is go for girls out there who don't revolve their life around their image, but still want to be noticed. I think every girl wants to be noticed, drooled over, and told how amazing they are. But when you're not on the cheerleading team, popular, or as outgoing as other people, it's very hard to get attention.

Sweethearts (Spoiler Alert)

          Sweethearts by Sara Zarr is about a girl named Jennifer Harris. Jennifer has never fit in anywhere, and always relied on her best friend, Cameron Quick to get her through things. But after he "passes away", she is completely lost. Most of her memories were with Cameron, and they now have become a part of her. But she can't seem to remember a lot of things about him, because she feels like her memories have gone with him. But even after Jennifer, aka, Jenna Vaughn, grows up, she still finds herself thinking about Cameron. She has a boyfriend, friends, what else could she ask for?
         This book was really intense for me. The compassion and devotion Jenna has toward Cameron really amazes me. Even many years after not seeing him, she still thinks of him as her best friend, and cant let go of him. I find it so amazing that Jenna remains to stay devoted to Cameron, and never forget about him. It's sad when someone passes, and you just forget about them.
         It also taught me about the impact you can have on someones life. If you do something nice, or are always there for someone, they'll always remember you. It won't matter what you looked like, but what you did and the difference you made in their life. Being there for someone can change someone. Especially if they don't have any friends, just a smile will make their day. So think before you do something, because they'll remember it forever.

Fancy White Trash

            Fancy White Trash by Marjetta Geerling is about a girl named Abby who has to deal with the problems in her everyday life. She doesn't really have any role models, because basically all of her sisters are either pregnant, had a baby, or just bad. The people that Abby is surrounded by impact her life in many ways.
           Abby is different than the people in her family. Abby wants to learn from her sisters' mistakes, instead of following in their footsteps. She has a good head on her shoulders, and wants a better life for herself. However, it's not easy when you don't have a positive role model or a good living enviornment.
           I think this is why a lot of kids have problems. Most people aren't strong like Abby. So they usually follow in their family members steps because that's what they feel comfortable with. They think it's the right thing to do, because their parents do it, so why can't they?
           But, this can go two ways you can look at this as a bad thing, or a good thing. Sometimes when kids see how are their parents lives are, it makes them want to work harder. It makes them want to be better than that and go farther in life. Either way, it's good to have someone that you can look up to.

The Last Song

               Do we become oblivious to the world when we're in love? Does nothing else matter? In the Last Song, this happens to Ronnie, a rebellious teen. A tragedy has to happen for her to snap out of it. Most of her life becomes to devoted to her boyfriend, Will.
                Is this what is wrong with teenage relationships? Do we fall too hard, too fast? I think so. We don't really know who we are yet, so throwing a boyfriend in there doesn't really help. It's not a bad thing if you have one, but you shouldn't revolve your life around it. There are many things that are more important then a boy at this age. Like family, school, & friends.
                Sometimes, people slack off in school when they have a boyfriend/girlfriend. It's terrible because school gets you further in life, not a middle school crush. That's what parents mean when they say "you'll have the rest of your life to worry about girls/boys." A lot of girls think that they'll be with that boy forever, and it's almost never true. So you should start paying attention to the people that really matter in life.
                This book really helped me appreciate my family. In a second, they can be gone. Then you'll regret not spending enough time with them. It reminded me to always stay true to myself. And never forget the ones who were there for me from the beginning.
        

Living on Impulse

             Would you be able to risk everything for a piece of clothing? Risk your family, friends, even your own freedom? Mia Morrow does. Living on Impulse by Cara Haycak, tells a story of a teenage girl with a stealing problem. Mia  is such a compulsive stealer, that when she's in the mode, nothing can stop her. She doesn't stop to think about what she is doing. She really is living on impulse.
              Stealing does have many risks, however it's just not worth it. Why would you want to go from being free to a dark jail, all for a shoe? Sometimes, in life you have to seriously think about what you're doing. And most of the time, if you second guess it, or have to think about it, it's probably not the right thing to do. Mia second guesses herself, but then does it anyway. It's like her heart knows what's right, but her mind doesn't. And for her, her mind takes over.
             This is not one of the biggest issues for teens. But, it's still an issue. Parents always tell you, "no stealing, hitting, or bad language" when you're young. When you get older, it feels like all of those rules go away. You're not with your parents all of the time anymore, you have more freedom, and you feel pressured to do what you're friends are doing.
              But, this can be prevented. It doesn't matter if you don't have a great supportive family. Although it helps, they're not always going to be there to tell you what to do, and the difference between right and wrong. This is when responsibility is needed. YOU are responsible for your actions. YOU know right from wrong. YOU are the one who is in control of your future. If you mess it up, there's no going back. So next time, if you feel like whatever you are doing is wrong, it most likely is. And ask yourself, is this worth it?

Hard Love

        Hard Love by Ellen Wittlinger is a book about a young love that is not easy. Marisol is a lesbian that recently just "came out of the closet". There love is very difficult because John is very shocked once Marisol tells him she likes him. They try to maintain a good friendship by writing zines to each other.
       This book was cool because this is how a lot of middle/high school teenagers feel. They don't really quite know who they are yet, but they are conflicted with the pain and joy of liking/loving someone. It's a hard time because you have so much to deal with. School work, fitting in, friends, etc. But having a crush/boyfriend is something that everyone goes through.
        Love and crushes are very fragile when you're a teenager. You're naieve, vulnerable, and sensitive. Sometimes, you can't even focus on your work because you're thinking about that person. It interferes with work, but you feel like you can't control it. You want it to go away, but no matter what you do, it doesn't.
        This book is very helpful during these times. It lets you know that it's not going to be easy. It's not what you want to hear, but it's true. Everyone wants a perfect relationship, but that's only in fairy tales. And this book helps you get through it.