When I was in high school I used to write a poem a day; partly due to the fact that I was required to for my creative writing course but mainly because I just liked to write. Recently I've been working on writing some more poems but just haven't gotten back into the swing of it so I decided for my next two articles I would show you a poem I wrote in high school vs one I wrote recently about the same topic. This poem was originally called someone’s name but now looking back on the reason I wrote it I'm going to change it to "Testimony". A testimony is something that everyone who has ever participated in the youth group Younglife has had to give. It's basically like your life story but with a twist. You start off by talking about your life before you met Jesus; any struggles you may have had or even didn't have. By the end of your testimony you would talk about your relationship with Christ and how it's helped you. I wrote this poem as a mixture of the start of many people’s testimonies, and maybe even a bit of my own.

I don’t sleep

I don’t remember the last time I had to eat

I drink to escape the nights,

And smoke to escape the days.

I write poetry when my words

Don’t even make sense, because

That’s when they sound

The best together.

I don’t speak up,

I never act out,

I shut up and do what I’m told

Because that’s how I’ve

Lived my whole life.

My dad wanted an athlete,

Someone to talk to about Saturdays game.

My mom wanted a scholar,

A class president who made her own name.

I’m too emotional,

I get too attached.

I’m a tease because

I don’t want to give it up,

But I also can’t give too much.

I’m used to abandonment,

Permanently stuck with disappointments.

Friends will come and go

Quicker than the seasons will change.

I smile even when I’m falling apart,

Because my sadness can break

Somebody else’s heart.

But all I can feel is the pain,

A smile can’t take it away.

I can’t tell you when I last

Laughed to the point of crying.

I used to do it all the time,

But now happiness is the last thing on my mind.

Everyone expects so much,

Be happy, Be healthy,

Don’t be a prude, Don’t be a slut,

Be smart, Be athletic,

Be perfect till you break.