A Piece of Paper, Poem

A Piece of Paper

29 November 2020

A piece of paper is supposed

To span

Across a length 

Of space.

But

When

Crumpled, its length

Is decreased,

Its perfection

Tainted by wrinkles—

Crushed by the 

Minimal

Strength of a fist

Whatever filled that paper 

Is indescribable in 

Its new form—

Condensed

And forced

To live without

Free flow and simplicity,

But rather 

Complex and 

Dark crevices: imposible

To map from

Crumpled paper to crumpled paper.

The above poem was first drafted as an assignment for my AP Literature and Composition class. The purpose of the yearlong assignment is to periodically create relatively simply/quick self portraits. My teacher uses the portraits to check in with us students and get to know us better considering the separation created via remote learning this year.

My self portrait I submitted for class.