After a very long break, due to crazy snow, Lowestoft Library Teen Writing Group met for the first time in 2013 (I still want to write 2012). When we last met in December, I set homework to write something about New Year's Resolutions. One person did that. It was inspired by the television programme, Buffy the Vampire Slayer. I haven't really watched it, so I didn't get all the references, but it was a well written piece so I enjoyed it.
I wrote a poem, and although it sounds like I swallowed a rhyming dictionary, these are resolutions that I would like to keep. I'm not the kind of person to keep resolutions, but I guess all I hope for is to have a more positive outlook on life. Anyway, here it is.
I resolve to be
more assertive
and less dismissive
more ambitious
and less evasive
more conclusive
and less abrasive
more decisive
and less passive
more progressive
and less obsessive
more talkative
and less explosive
more impressive
and less elusive
more supportive
and less selective
more innovative
and less offensive
more positive
and less apprehensive
more intuitive
and less sensitive
more appreciative
and less repetitive
more communicative
and less vegetative
more informative
and less tentative
more cooperative
and less argumentative
more festive
and less unproductive
more attractive
and less combative
*****
As we didn't have a January meeting, I e-mailed the group their homework for this month which was to write something about the local area for the Lowestoft Library Writers' Group anthology. The general consensus was that the local area is 'boring'. However, one poem was written by one of the teens, so that will be going into the collection.
*****
On Thursday it's Valentine's Day, so I thought we could use this meeting to spread the love. Everyone wrote a list of things they loved (food, places, television programmes, celebrities, etc.), and then chose one thing to write a love letter to, explaining why they loved them.
things I love
sleeping
my bed
sushi
walking barefoot on the sand
heavy snow
snow fall
hot chocolate with squirty cream
second hand book shops
puppies
channel 4 comedy
kinder eggs
crinkle cut foods
cover versions of songs
warm summer evenings
music that takes you back to happy times
Russell Brand
converse chuck taylors
Tim Burton films
80s children's telly
ice-cream
Dear Second Hand Book Shops,
I have to confess my love for you. The musty smell that hits me as I open your doors, that follows me around as I browse your shelves, that rests inside my nose to remind me of you when I've left your walls behind. It's a smell I can't experience anywhere else, and I wouldn't want to. It's comforting and soothing. Your hidden surprises never cease to amaze me. Sometimes I come in just to browse, sometimes I have a definite intention, but I have to run my fingers along the spines of your books, and more often than not I pick up something just because of the cover. You house so much history, so much life, and so many stories. Books with inscriptions, creased pages, bent spines, annotations, a past, and a prospective future in the right hands. You're a magical place, and I wish I had more time and more money to spend with you, but all I can give you now is my heart. Treat it well, as I have treated your precious books.
Yours forever.
*****
Our next meeting will be on Monday 11th March, 5pm-6pm, in Lowestoft Library cafe. Our homework for next session is to write a shot story: You wake up in a white room, with white walls, on a white bed, wearing white clothes. What happens next?
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