Sophomore Year

English 2H with Mr. Hawkins was a lot more productive then my next year to come. We read Catcher in the Rye (obsessed), Our Town, Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Death of a Salesmen, and lots of short stories. We also had a portfolio which was quite the task but nothing like this year of course. Here's my first poem of high school. The First and Final touch was about a work trip I went on in Mexico the previous summer, I was able to use my arm at the end of each stanza to represent my closed in palms, to finally my arm fully extended with my palm open.

The First and Final Touch

My arm hung tight to my body

A deep breathe

Eyes open with curiosity

A heart filled with hope

A small twitch in my elbow

Stomping of feet

Shoulders aching from the brand new day

Children’s pain makes me ache inside

Beginning to reach out

A hammer swung

The nail dug in closer

The product was created

Arm extended

A touch of their hands 

A look in the eye kills

The smile that brings fulfillment

My first poem of high school was somewhat well written. This piece had a lot of heart in it and although I can recall it needing a lot of grammar help through the process I had a deeper meaning which was me growing as a person with my arm extended.