Self Portrait With and Without Pt.2

This is a poem from my (junior year) high school literature class I used the same format as the original poem "self portrait with and without' by Chen Chen. Due to mine being inspired by it my version is called “self portrait with and without pt.2” here it is:

With apple juice. Without true happiness. With adhd. Without a purpose. Recently, with an A in English class. Without a supportive family. Yet with a caring mother, she just cares in her own way. Without my driver’s license. With my Dominican citizenship. Without peace of mind.

With a girlfriend...as of a few days ago. With my strong passion for singing yet so much self doubt about pursing my dream. Without the right type of curly hair. Without consistent “perfect grades”.

With everyone breathing down my neck and pressuring me to do the right things in life, but at the same time treating me like a child who will never grow up and thrive in the real world. Without feeling valuable. With the Lady of Guadalupe on my nightstand who I pray to every night wishing for success and stability for my friends and I through the rest of my days. Without putting myself first...

Writing this poem back then made me realize how much I enjoyed pouring my heart through my writing. This helped to solidify my belief that I write better from a somber place than I do a happy place. My best writing comes from describing and explaining my pain, letting readers/ listeners get a glimpse into my everyday hardships.