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Poetically Yours - Rent is due

LIT UP at WNIJ for National Poetry Month.
Jenna Dooley
LIT UP at WNIJ for National Poetry Month.

Welcome to Poetically Yours. Poetically Yours showcases poems from northern Illinois poets. This week’s poet is Auburn High School’s LIT UP group member, Safiya Brooks.

The LIT UP poetry group started as a sixth-grade project in 2015 by Lori Beach-Glass. LIT is short for the word literature. The students are in high school now, but they continue to plaster their words across the community. This group participates in an Open Mic at the Certified Open Mic and Poetry Slam at the Rockford Public Library Nordlof Center. Here’s group member Safiya Brooks’ poem “This Month’s Rent Paid Only in Dimes.”

I'm in pain.

Always living life in vain.

Acting as if all these people are lame

and what I have to gain

is more than anyone could ever explain!

I feel as though I'm going insane in the membrane

each rhyme worth a single dime

to help me pay off my fine

I got for living away

From everyone else’s set guidelines

I'm just like a mime

Stuck in an explosive mind

made out of a forever growing vine

When I trust people, I usually end up in a sort of a bind.

Treat them too nicely and you'll hear a "you’re too kind"

which makes you inclined to preside and presume that the words that they use are based out of nothing else but pride.

But

Let’s just put that aside,

Bury their words with your own lies.

TELL yourself you don't hear the people’s Sighs -

(SIGH)