Awake

The piece itself is centred around a hopeful and positive theme, primarily, ridding of the polar opposite to livelihood by way of a welcoming light. “Awake” was a part of an unrelated series of poems, all written with the same intention of reflecting on my state of mind at the time, utilized through creative writing. “Awake” was one of the pieces with a contrasting theme compared to a couple of others, more lighthearted in theme. At that time I was feeling quite troubled, however I took advantage of looking at a much more happy image amid my unhappiness, hence the hopeful sound of “Awake”. As of now, I am 16 years of age and a TY student in secondary school. I have always thoroughly enjoyed personal and creative writing, creating stories and poetry. I have been writing poetry since I was 14 years old, a great way to convey my thoughts, feelings and creativity. 

I often note while reading the submissions to this journal the wisdom that can be found in the work of young poets, and how important it is for us all to listen to them. There is an almost Zen self-awareness and ability to experience the present moment in this poem that is quite extraordinary. I really like the poet’s use of fine descriptive details to bring us into this moment of meditative stillness and observation. The use of repetition furthers this tone, and it feels almost as if time is slowing down as we read. I can almost feel the sun, so lavish and careful are the descriptions used. I also really admire how the poet is willing to depart from the usual uses of language in order to enhance meaning – this ‘poetic license’ is something that makes reading and writing poetry so pleasing to me, because we can escape the bonds of language to an extent and make it a plaything, an instrument. I feel inspired to live more mindfully and with more gratitude by this piece.