1

The Life of a Poet

I have always wondered, is there more to home than plain white walls and tiled floors?
Do the four corners of a room give justice to whoever wishes to live inside? Back in 2017, I
started writing poetry. I was a 7th grader when I realized I had this skill. Starting from that year, I
have always brought an extra notebook called “The Journal.” Most of my notebooks have
already been burnt or got lost while cleaning the house. While I never really had a knack for
reading, somehow, one day, I found myself writing. This is the life of a poet behind the similes,
symbols, and metaphors. All of these elements I take into account when I write.

Curtains as green
as the leaves of the mango tree
a few steps away from our garden.
Silky smooth
as the breeze goes through—
it is the ripple of a calm ocean.

The subject is just a plain, green curtain. Writers often use similes to introduce concrete
images (like boxes of chocolates) into writing about abstract concepts (like life)1. By using “as”
to compare the color green as the leaves of the mango tree, the readers will have a simple and
clear picture about the situation.

Notice how the piece also uses symbolisms. Green: it symbolizes life, fertility, renewal,
and resurrection2. In this light, garden is about nurturing, investment, and the satisfaction gained
from reaping rewards by one’s own hand and will3. The use of symbolism offers the readers the
freedom to give different interpretations of the piece.

Closing off the poem, ripple is a playful, poetic installation that illustrates that we can
achieve more together than when we act alone, that every action creates a ripple effect4.
Aristotle said a metaphor is “the act of giving a thing a name that belongs to something else.”

Even a plain object can have its life given by a writer. There is more to home than plain
white walls and tiled floors. The four corners of a room give justice to whoever wishes to live
inside. Words breathe within the verses. As a poet, it is my mission to give life to words
unspoken. Words that can certainly be so adept that the words turn into a lush, emotive world.

1 ________. (n.d.) What Is Simile? Definition and Examples of Simile in Literature - 2022. MasterClass,
from https://www.masterclass.com/articles/what-is-simile

2________. (n.d.) How Does the Color Green Make You Feel? Verywell Mind, from
https://www.verywellmind.com/color-psychology-green-2795817

3 Avia. (2018, March 9). Symbolic Garden Meaning. Whats-Your-Sign.Com. https://www.whats-your-

sign.com/symbolic-garden-meaning.html

4 ________. (n.d.) 5 Metaphors for « ripple », from https://inspirassion.com/en/metaphor/ripple