Dear Diary

1990
Love
when i look at him
it’s like looking into the sun
except i don’t squint my eyes or go blind
if i wear sunglasses
i know that he is fake
i try not to wear them a lot
its like going underwater and to be able to breathe
with his arms around me
maybe i’ll get over him
maybe i wont
i wish he’d like me
is he a true gem or just a rhinestone?
i really love him.

2003
I was eleven years old when I wrote this. This poem is about love. Not the fake kind, not the “rhinestone” kind of love. It’s about TRUE love. Can’t you hear the pain in the author’s tone when she writes, “maybe I’ll get over him/maybe I wont”? Because I feel like, for a second, what if she doesn’t get over him? It’s a scary idea that terrifies us all, and I’m really amazed at the author’s ability to stretch that fear whilst at the same time explaining the essence of love so clearly.

1990
Seasons
i wake up excited, happy full of glee
when i see snow outside at least an inch above my knee
its wonderful to dance in a room all filled with white
i feel just like i’m flying, soaring like a kite
then spring comes round and flowers bloom and bees R busy playing
just to wait for school to end, oh i’d do anything
when summer comes, camp comes and you know what that means
sunny days and lemonade
filled with yummy ice cream
then fall comes and the leaves turn brown
and school starts and i with a frown
the cycle repeats and all ends meet
surrounded each season by best friends
this is where my poem ends

2003
What a totally weak way to end the poem. Such a cop-out. And what’s up with me trying to rhyme “playing” with “anything”? Newsflash, Lesley from 1990: Using the same suffix is NOT a rhyme! But I mean, other than that, this poem is all true and you know what? It’s fucking PERFECT.

1990
Hate
hate is like washing yourself down the toilet
no person can hate without the help of others
before you hate, you are a leader
you can act like yourself
peer pressure makes you hate
some people do not realize this
i hate hate.

2003
Dudes, hate is SO fucked. It’s like a cross between your friends acting like jerks and your parents coming down on you in a super-harsh way, at the same time! I went through a phase when I thought hate was cool (yesterday), but then I remembered that it’s hella gay. When you hate everything, you are Captain Bringdown (the ultimate dude to harsh your mellow) and that is what this poem is all about.

1990
Books
reading is a wonderful pastime that i have learned to love
on every shelf, in every room
books fit me like a glove
romance, mystery, adventure, tragedy
it’s a masterpiece to me
anyone who hates to read is not my cup of tea
books are the teachers that taught me how to think
oh how i love that wonderful paper filled with wonderful black ink
so turn the page and go find out
just what reading’s all about

2003
Who am I? Erik Lavoie? And What is reading all about? I turned the page just like the poem suggested and I still couldn’t find the part where it tells you what it’s all about! So then I turned the page again, and again, until the book was over! This poem lied, and so do books.

LESLEY ARFIN