Her Hands

She looked down at her hands

Her dark, warm skin

She did not understand 

Why must this,

Her outside appearance, 

Something she could not control?

Bring so much hate

To the world

She strolled down the street,

Downcast and dejected

Lost in a sea

Of hurt. 

And pain.

But

...

Then

She stopped,

And took a good look

At the world around her

Why must she agree

To live in a place of

Hatred?

Why must she allow

The disdainful looks,

The muttered comments

To continue on?

She would take what she felt

The hurt, and

Oh, so much pain

And turn it into anger.

She took that anger

And used it as fuel

To start the fire of 

Resistance inside. 

She looked down at her hands, 

Those same hands that,

Just before, 

Had caused her grief

And she would use them

To make a difference.

Dear Jem

Dear Jem,

   Being a teen in the year 2018 is a lot different than the year you reside in. Your thoughts of women having a specific place in the world, or of someone being "too girly," would not pass whatsoever. Here in 2018, many young people both embrace gender expression, and reject the old standards that it was once restricted by in our formerly close-minded society. If you said anything similar to your usual sexist rhetoric, there would be at least five people at my school that would start a heated debate.
You would probably enjoy our extensive access to information through the internet, and marvel over being able to watch football games in full color from the comfort of your own home.

A Valentine

Dear Valentine
This is to thank you
For all that you do for me
All that you've sacrificed
Just for my happiness
I cannot express
How grateful I am
To have you
In my life
I love you!

Dear Evan Hansen

  Dear Evan Hansen,

     Today was an amazing day, and here’s why. Because I just got back from the Music Box Theatre
in New York City, New York. I just got back from seeing one of my most favorite Broadway shows
of all time, Dear Evan Hansen. I just got back from stagedooring after the show, and getting cast
members’ signatures, and the chance to interact with them.

    It was Wednesday at about noon. We turned the corner and there, in front of us,
was the Music Box Theatre. Home to many amazing and notable shows, but for the past year,
it had hosted Dear Evan Hansen. Just seeing the outside of the theater wowed me. With its giant
posters announcing Ben Platt, Rachel Bay Jones and many other stars, being outside of this
legendary place was incredible.

  But even better: I was going to go inside and watch them perform.

   My mom and I waited in the line for the matinee. Seeing it at this time meant that we wouldn’t
get to watch some of the more popular cast members, but it was more affordable. Once we got inside
we waited for about half an hour to be seated. During this time, we made small talk with the
merchandising stand operator, who, once opened, I bought my (now favorite) Dear Evan Hansen
shirt from.

   Once we were allowed inside, we sat down in the second to last row, all the way on the end of the
isle. Normally these wouldn’t be very good seats, but the theater was so small that any seat was a
good one. We waited for half an hour more, and spoke to the usher. He talked to us about that morning’s
rehearsal, how good the understudies were, and other things of that nature. A little bit before the show’s
start, I spotted a pile of at least fifty playbills sitting behind me. My mom asked if we could take an
extra or two, and he was fine with it! So I grabbed two more.

    Soon after that the lights dimmed, and the first actor walked out onto the stage: Michael Lee Brown,
the understudy of Ben Platt, who was playing the title role of Evan Hansen. Then the character’s
mother, Heidi Hansen, played by Tony winner Rachel Bay Jones, walked out, and was met with wild
applause.

   As the show went on we were introduced to the small and intimate cast; besides from the two
already listed, that included Michael Park, Nick Sacks, Laura Dreyfuss, Colton Ryan, Kristolyn Lloyd,
and Jennifer Laura Thompson.

  Those two and a half hours were some of the best of my life. I got to hear songs that I have
memorized, ones I’ve acted out for months, live and in person. I got to see how the actors connected,
how they showed their emotions. I laughed, I cried, I smiled, but, most importantly, it made me reflect.

    After the show and the rounds of applause, I rushed out onto the street, Playbill and sharpie in hand.
I ran over to the railings around the stagedoor to wait for the talented people I had just watched on
stage to emerge. Stagedooring is a popular tradition with theatre goers. You go out to a stage door
after the show is over and wait for the actors to come out, so you can get objects (such as Playbills)
signed. After waiting there for about an hour, a few cast members came out. I got four of their
signatures and had conversations with all of them. Not only were they amazing on stage, but they were
also very kind off.

All in all, I had an amazing time seeing my first Broadway musical, and hopefully will go
back soon to see another!

A New You

Clouds of thunder

Rolling over the skies

The humidity grows

The air so thick with water

You could

(practically)

Hold it,

Even scoop it up

In your hands

Seeing the weather

The wild,

Restless heavens

I run out

Without shoes,

Without a care

I dance as the rain begins

My sorrows are washed away

As the Earth is made anew

The birds

Chirp sweetly

They embrace

The chaos

They’re not afraid

Of the dark

Why should you be?

It gives me hope

For tomorrow

A new day,

A new you

My Future

   Discuss an accomplishment, event or realization that sparked a period of personal growth and new understanding of yourself or others.

    Something that sparked a new realization in my life was visiting New York City for the first time. Being in that atmosphere was a completely new experience, and during the time I was there I fell in love with the idea of living there someday.
   Since then, I've been looking at colleges and potential jobs that would allow me to live there. One career that I've considered is being a librarian. This isn't just because of my love for books, but also because of when I visited the New York City Public Library. It was a beautiful, calm place full of information. I would feel lucky enough just to go there again, let alone work there.
   This realization has affected me greatly, like I mentioned. I understand more about what path I want to take in life, which is both frighting and reassuring the same time. Frighting because what if I don't succeed in pursuing my dreams? What if I never get to live in such a beautiful city, or have the job I desire? What if I can't afford to go to a particular school without being in debt?
   But the fact that I at least have goals and dreams in general is nice. Before this realization dawned on me, I didn't have the slightest idea what I was going to do; it was all a foggy mess, waiting to be sorted out.  I've even looked at average salaries, rents and general cost of living, as well as scholarships and programs I may want to apply to.
   So for that reason, I am so grateful that I had this epiphany of sorts. It's helped me to worry less about my future.

Hello!
My name is Ruby, and this is my Writing Blog for my 9/10 Literature class.
I will hopefully be posting at least twice a week over the next few months.
My favorite genres are fantasy, sci-fi, dystopian, and a lot of other things in between. Chances are, if it has pages, I'll read it.
I mainly write poetry, as well as my opinions on different subjects. If you continue to follow my work, you'll soon learn that I have a lot of opinions. For instance, I have a fierce love of slushees, and a fierce dislike of the art form dadaism.
Outside of my world of books, I participate in many different hobbies. These include art, ballet, photography, musical theatre, and sobbing over fictional characters.
I hope you enjoy my writing! If you don't, that's okay too. I appreciate any critiques!