Privilege

The feedback I received gave me a lot of insight into how others read and interpreted my words. I was able to see patterns in my poem that I could improve upon. I have been going to Writers Guild for quite a few months and, just based on the feedback that has been given to other people, I’ve learned so much about how I can be a better writer. Getting feedback from a larger group made it helpful to know what things worked for some people and not for others.

I went on a walk, some days ago

Beloved sunlight that kisses my skin
Green grass that begs my hello
Concrete skatepark below the bridge
Clatters and clicks / skateboards and young bliss

This walk, I took alone

Within this light of who I am, a certain safety of myself

Was it my fault? Should I have done something different?
What was I wearing? What time did it happen?
What exactly did he say? What did he look like?

I take the train, almost every morning

Familiar route, sights, stations
Maybe I convince myself, a false security
In windows over train tracks
Music in my earbuds
Rumbles and squeaks / a cough and a heartbeat

The train, I shouldn’t have taken alone

Comfort in my usual routine, protection in recognizability
Beauty of solitude
Independence

That privilege, I know as fear

Astro Myers is a first-year Animation student at DePaul University. Though not involved in any academic creative writing, they have been passionate about poetry since the age of thirteen as a hobby. They like silly cats and whale sharks.