Story of My Life
By CM
My life is like a notebook filled with empty pages
Bitter words and blank statements
I stare at the pages and try to picture
What should go in these spaces
When I can’t get my own, I take from others
And try to replace them
I’m not being a follower
I just use the leader’s example as inspiration, persuasion
And sometimes motivation
Convincing me to keep the ink on my paper
These bitter words are like lemons and grapefruits
If you put enough sugar on it, it will taste true
People sell it everyday like Minute Maid
But a lie will stay sour until it’s lemonade
These statements I make that seem so bold
Are often the ones that make my heart
Look so cold
45 Comments
Leave a Comment
The poets featured here are currently incarcerated, and many of them are in federal prisons far from home. Your feedback is a valuable source of motivation and connection to the outside community. Post your comments, feedback, and encouragement in the space below the poem. Messages will be passed on directly to the author. Comments may not appear immediately on the site, as our team processes them to mail to the poets.
“These bitter words are like lemons and grapefruits
If you put enough sugar on it, it will taste true
People sell it everyday like Minute Maid
But a lie will stay sour until it’s lemonade
These statements I make that seem so bold
Are often the ones that make my heart
Look so cold”
These were my favorite lines from your poem. The play on bitter taste and truth/lies was really effective and the rhyming was very creative and drove home your point. I also enjoyed the last lines, that of your statements, your boldness making you look cold. I liked the word choice here. ‘Look’ instead of ‘feel’, indicating that it’s not the actual case but how you are perceived.
I really enjoyed this poem.
CM – great descriptions here with the sense of taste – sourness, bitter, sweetness, artificial sweetness (Minute Maid). I’m curious as to your choice to start in the metaphor of a book and then move to fruits. It almost feels like there are two different poems here saying the same thing.
Hi CM
This is very deep and poetic. The metaphors and descriptions really touched me. I hope all is well and I hope you continue to write.
Thank you for sharing this! The metaphors you use help convey your point. I can picture the book you describe and taste the fruit. Keep writing and staying true to yourself!
Wow! I really loved this poem, the imagery and the use of so many senses like sight with the pages and then taste with the fruits and the word sour! My favorite line was “If you put enough sugar on it, it will taste true”. This line was so impactful and such a unique and cool way of expressing how lies can be hidden by what we think is true! Amazing! Thank you so much for sharing, this was amazing!
Great work! I really fell in deep into your writing and the Story of Your Life. I loved the continuity of the lemonade/fruit metaphors and it really made me think. I could really see how much of an impact writing has had on you, with the struggles and the passion you feel towards it. Fantastic work!
Wow, this poem is amazing! It seems you can feel what the writer is feeling in this poem, there is confession, a bit of remorse, then justification and explanation. You can tell that the writer of this poem is really trying to “keep the ink on the paper,” and that this is probably an outlet for them to express their feelings into beautiful and clever poetry. Great job, keep it up!
Hi CM,
Thank you for sharing your beautiful work. I appreciate these words and you for allowing others to read personal words. It is hard to look at your own life and reflect on the blank pages you with were full of love and happiness. I think it is an amazing comparison, that words even covered in sugar can come from a bitter place. I feel as we age we see the true bitterness of others and what their words are laced with. It is a sad realization, but one that I think is necessary. It helps you see people’s hearts and true intentions and teaches you lessons that you can take and use to fill in your blank pages with love, grace, and compassion. Thank you again for your work, it is so appreciated.
Much love,
Jacey
Hi CM,
Thank you for sharing your poem. I enjoyed reading it. I like how you compared your life to a notebook. I think that is a great idea and you mentioning empty pages makes me think of the empty pages of my life, especially those in the future. This may not be a scary thought for everyone, but it is for me. I believe guidance and inspiration is important in filling the blank pages of our lives. You make a lot of great points and great comparisons in your poem, and it has made me think of what my life as a notebook would look like and how the true the words of the pages would be. We all seem to put sugar on our lives to make them “better”, but the truth is what is important. Thank you for sharing your thought-provoking poem. I hope you continue to write more poems and use your incredible talent.
I think you made a lot of good parallels to your life being like a notebook. “I stare at the pages and try to picture what should go in these spaces” is really strong. It really draws on the idea of being uncomfortable with not knowing the future (which is pretty accurate because everyone feels this way at some point). I thought it was very clever to describe the words of others, whether true or untrue, as Minute Maid/sour lemonade. Your last three lines make the emotion of the poem more raw and more real. I really liked this poem!
Hi CM. Thank you for sharing your poem! Your words were beautiful and very thought-provoking. I had a lot of mental imagery as I was reading, which made the poem that much better. I felt like I related a lot to your poem, as I’m sure many people could. I really hope to see more of your work in the future and that you stay motivated to write! Thank you, again, CM.
Your poem has a lot of meaning to it. Keep up the good work and never give up. We enjoyed reading your poem.
This poem definitely speaks volume. It is so blunt and paints a picture to the reader. I love you analogy of the lemonade and lies tasting sour. I think a lot of people now and days cover their lies up with “sugar” so people believe them even though they are truly just “sour.” Great job!
I really like how truthful this is. I think you did a great job of keeping a uniform structure throughout the poem. The analogy of the bitter fruits was well received and did a good job of conveying your point. Keep writing, this is a great piece!
“These bitter words are like lemons and grapefruits. If you put enough sugar on it, it will taste true. People sell it everyday like Minute Maid. But a lie will stay sour until it’s lemonade. These statements I make that seem so bold are often the ones that make my heart look so cold” Wow this is really well written! This is by far my favorite part of this poem. I think you have some real talent. you painted a picture for me about how you feel, what you see, and what you hear so well an in a very catchy way. I see the kind of person that you are as one who wants to get to the heart of the matter, one who doesn’t beat around the bush one that is to the point. That is an admirable trait to have that many people lack. How you choose to go on from now is what really matters in life. I wish you all the best and don’t stop writing!
This is a very moving poem about identity. I like how the author describes their identity as “empty pages,” and then describing how they try to fill these pages with thoughts, words, and actions of other people. This is the central conflict of identity; who are you? What are you about? What do you stand for? And then the author recognizes the bitterness and sourness that comes from not understanding your identity, or not trying to be who you really are.
Dear CM
Such a powerful piece of work. Nice flow and beautiful structure. I truly enjoyed reading this and related to it very much. Please keep working at it. It is very strong and powerful. I love the work. I truly hope you keep going.
The first line “ My life is like a notebook filled with empty pages”. That is how I feel everyday. I am not always lonely and I have friends, but I always feel like I’m doing something wrong. I worry too much about what is going to happen during the day sometimes I forget to live in it. I love my life and the people around me, but I still feel like I need to do something. To accommodate my life to wan at feels better in my mind. But that’s not always right. In my mind I would think that my life would be full of excitement and drama. I am one of the only black kids in my grade in a white privileged school and I have a funny name. So my plate would seem to be full. But seeming things of a person is just an exaggerated opinion from the human (WHITE MALE) society. But besides that I love your writing. I also write, so I clicked just reading it. Keep writing about your feelings. Cause I know I am.
It’s so hard to open up about your past and the way you talk about trying to become a better person is really inspiring. Life is like a notebook because anything can happen but it depends on what you decide to do. It’s hard to be a good person but no matter what’s going on, you can get through it. Turning yourself around is really amazing and I hope you have an amazing life!
I dig the rhythm of this poem. Your metaphors are also really good here. Everything about this piece is on point, actually. I appreciate how unafraid you are to share a part of yourself in this poem. Keep it up, my friend.
Life is very much seemingly ready for experiences. I like the imagery you added with life being like a notebook. Often times I find that there are events and memories that we have that add onto that blank canvas and make something of it. This is a very enchanting piece of writing and the line of not being a follower but taking inspiration from other’s can be relatable and very true. Overall, this poem does a great job in highlighting what life is. I’m excited to read more!
Hi CM,
A wonderful poem you have created, the rhythms and the flow were nicely done as well! I too struggle sometimes finding my own identity and constantly feel like I take from other people or am too often influenced by others and the society we live in so the line, “When I can’t get my own, I take from others/And try to replace them” really resonated with me. I also loved the “If you put enough sugar on it, it will taste true/People sell it every day like Minute Maid/But a lie will stay sour until it’s lemonade” the rhymes, the metaphor, everything extremely nicely done! We often have the saying “when life gives you lemons, you make lemonade” making this twist of artificiality that sometimes rings true in your interactions with others is absolutely brilliant in the way you wrote it. Great work!
Such a beautiful poem, thank you for sharing! I loved the metaphors of fruit, and how you used it to show your willingness to unapologetically be yourself.
Hi!
I enjoyed your sense of imagery when it came to lemons and grapefruits. I love how you’re not afraid to share on your experiences with life. Keep on writing, this poem is beautiful!
Lovely poem, I like your use of metaphors. ” If you put enough sugar on it, it will taste true” I like this line i believe with social media for example if people tell a lie long enough or sugar coat it slowly begins to turn into the truth. Looking forward to read more of your poems .
I really like how the words you used in this poem rhymed along with the metaphors/ similes you used to create a story. Even your first sentence “ My life is like a notebook filled with empty pages” stood out to me because a lot of the time, people are trying to discover who they are and how they can create a sense meaning of their life in the world around them . Keep up the great work!
This poem stands out to me a lot and it reads like a very professional poem. My favorite line was the simile, “People sell it every day like Minute Maid.” It is okay to be a follower, or not know what’s next, that will all happen by itself. You will find who you are, just give it some time! Keep writing poetry, your work is great.
I really love this poem. When you write
“These bitter words are like lemons and grapefruits
If you put enough sugar on it, it will taste true” that really stuck with me and was a great simile.
It’s easy to mask something under “sugar”. Really great work, keep it up!
Hi CM,
I really enjoyed reading this poem. I liked the metaphor you started with, referring to your life as a blank page in a notebook. I felt that the way you talked about taking ideas from others to put in the spaces of your notebook referenced being unsure of decisions in one’s own life and looking to others’ actions to see what you “should” be doing. I also really liked the lemon and grapefruit analogy. My favorite lines were “If you put enough sugar on it, it will taste true/ People sell it everyday like Minute Maid/ But a lie will stay sour until it’s lemonade”. I felt like I could feel the emotions in this piece. This poem was raw, and a very interesting read. Thank you so much for sharing!
Ainsley
I truly enjoyed this poetry, and I was moved by the metaphors and descriptions you used. “These bitter words are like lemons and grapefruits If you put enough sugar on it, it will taste true” was one of my favorite lines since it effectively captures the sourness of the truth or lying. Thanks so much for sharing!
The use of the words “my life is like an notebook with empty pages” along with the title being Story of My Life was very creative and well thought out. I think a lot of people can relate to that part especially college students. “I stare at the pages and try to picture what should go in these spaces”. College students and young adults in general are under so much pressure to have their lives figured out when it is okay to not know. It is okay to seek advice and assistance from other people, without being labeled as a follower. Humans can help each other learn and grow. I am processing this poem as someone wanting to be able to write good things about themselves, but the pressure from people around them and internal pressure makes it hard.
The title of this poem being the story of my life linking to be a empty notebook relates to me as it can be difficult to know where life will take you and to know what you want to do with life. I enjoyed the metaphors. I can relate to trying to see what other people are doing without being a follower, this has a very deep meaning and is clear to the reader the struggles in life. The line “put sugar on it” relates to trying to make the best of things in order to cope with life. These metaphors are very powerful and express feelings in a way that can relate to others.
These words are so beautifully articulated and so deeply meaningful. I find motivation in all areas of my life; the good and the bad. Some days are harder than others to know what to make of yourself and your life, but it is on those days that it is especially important to put thought into what direction you hope to go in. In our most hopeless times, we must find hope in the world surrounding us to continue persevering, and you portray that fact wonderfully. Thank you so much for sharing.
The concept of using the lemons and grapefruits is such a good idea for this work. I would have used lemons and limes but I understand why you made your choice of words. I enjoyed reading your piece and how we interact with your concepts in your poem in our everyday lives.
Hello CM, your poem was great, and nothing like I expected. I want to stat of with how good your metaphors were, and your choice of language throughout this poem. When you first said how “you got inspiration, and motivation from others, and how you’re not follower but you use that to keep the ink on your paper” was an interesting group of lines. I think what you said was true. Looking back on history and even my own life I can see moments where I looked to others for creativity or that push to get me started. I feel the bold statements that your king throughout this poem is what makes you who you are as well, I don’t think it makes you look cold at all. These are just topics and things no one wants to talk about but what your states was truth. Thank you so much for sharing this poem.
I wish you well! – Aaliyah
I honestly really enjoyed this poem and it made me think in a different way. The line where you said “When I can’t get my own, I take from others” I kind of see this as everyone gets personality traits from others. If we see our parents act a certain way then we act like them or if we someone we envy we try to act like them more. This has me raise the question is anyone unique? If everyone’s personality is taken from others is anyone original, have we ever had an original thought? I loved this poem and I hope soon you can fill the pages of your note book 🙂
The algology of a notebook to describe life is a great way to show emotion. As the pages are empty it can show the lack of or the sadder nature. This is also very reliable when looking to others as motivation or inspiration as I have done this myself. There are many great synonyms in this poem to reflect emotion. Describing the sense of taste allows me to sympathise with emotions with words such as bitter. I especially enjoy the last lines These statements I make that seem so bold Are often the ones that make my heart
Look so cold. It leaves the reader with deep emotion and thoughts and very well done.
Thank you for sharing this! The metaphors and messages in this poem are really inspirational and wonderful to. It really did convey the concept of the poem. It captured the reality of life and how important it is to know who you are as person.
I love how your metaphors connect back to reality. It presents beautiful imagery yet highlights the dark reality of society and our personal problems.
This poem is extremely creative! I absolutely love the lines, “These bitter words are like lemons and grapefruits. If you put enough sugar on it, it will taste true.” What a creative comparison! Not only do these lines create great imagery, but the metaphor is very clear and translates the author’s point as well. I also like the underlying theme of identity and trying to find yourself while copying others, sometimes even convincing yourself you like something because others do. I think this is something many teenagers can relate to. Finding your identity is a process of trial and error, most of the time mimicked from those around us. I really enjoyed this poem.
Wow, what an amazing poem. I really resonate with a lot of these messages here. I like how you talk that sometimes our past looks like an empty slate with nothing of not on there. People often lie and then sugar coat those lies as you say to make their pasts appear sweet. We convince not only others but also ourselves that our pasts accomplishments are different than they are, and that’s why our slate looks blank when we look back upon it. This is a beautiful poem and I really love your work. Please keep writing as I hope to read more from you in the future.
CM,
I love your comment about not being a follower and using leaders as your inspiration. I relate to this as I struggle with being a leader on my own accord. I also love and agree with your lines about adding sugar. The end of the poem is the most powerful. I think it is gradually powerful throughout in fact.
Hi CM, this is an amazingly written poem, and it really connects and hits the reader. I can feel the emotion through the descriptive words. Whichever path you pick will always lead you to a different journey. You got this and remember the best is yet to come!
Amazing! The metaphors in this poem are insane! What I love is how you can feel the emotions of your poem through the words. What I also love is just how your eyes can bounce from line to line. All because of the flow and slight rhyme it has within it. My favorite lines are “People sell it every day like Minute Maid But a lie will stay sour until it’s lemonade.” These lines literally made my mouth taste the sour of lemonade. Absolutely killed it, keep writing!
HI,
you mentioned great metaphors. i often think of my future and what will happen, my mind is blank. so i really like your lines where it says I stare at the pages and try to picture What should go in these spaces, i can relate to your poem alot.