Lost in time and wondering why
I can't find the red pause button
Was this a test?
It feels almost like a dream
I hope this dream of my future is real, but I know it isn't
A dream with no end, constant cycles of longing, rest
But still with no rest, I try my best
Running through this race we call life,
And I'm running with constant strife.
This race will test you, and it will make the best of you.
Friends caught up to me, some outran me, some I outran
Running with them made memories
Memories came and went, I'm still trying to piece it together
This race is filled with hurdles
Wishing it would end, but hoping it wouldn't
I want to cross the finish line
But I don't want to leave this all behind.
This big race tested me, but it never bested me.
I'm tired, but this is no time to rest.
My writing process was complex. I was stuck for the longest on what to write because I kept on thinking about how I was about to graduate, and I was not ready for it, and well, that's what allowed me to write. I realized, what more to write about than the “race” we are all going through to graduate and how we are anticipating this graduation. Writing this poem allowed me to fully express what I feel this senior year is, and I really like that. Testing overwhelms me a whole lot. I always feel the pressure of finishing my test, but often the pressure of trying to finish forces you to overlook the fact that when doing things, you must always try to do it right the first time, so that you don't have to worry about it again or after. The literary devices and techniques that I used include motifs and metaphors, which are seen in the use of “testing” being repeated; the metaphor of testing alludes to the trials and testing that life brings. You, as a person, are always being tested, no matter what; even the most simple things are a test of your strength or endurance. One of the themes I am exploring is the fear of growing up and graduating from high school. Graduation is the biggest milestone ever, and this poem emphasises the race of graduation and how once you get to the end it feels the longest, but once you're at the finish line it feels almost as if you don't want it to end because of all the determination and effort you put into this race.