Dear Jaren,
I am sincerely moved by your poem, “Bonsai and Cats,” because it is so heartfelt and speaks to me. The tone you write with is sad, but content, that spreads a calm feeling throughout the poem. It is truly beautiful.
One part of your poem that stands out for me is where you say you are from “stubbornness and anger,/ selfishness”, then quickly bounce back from the negative and describe yourself as “creative”. I think this is inspiring, as it shows how people shouldn’t let the negative control their lives. There will always be bad moments and qualities in life, but we must appreciate the good parts in it as well.
Another part that I found interesting is where you say you are from World War I. This stood out for me because it shows how you must have a strong connection with the war, or learned much about it early on. Not many young people these days would consider themselves to be “from” a war that was a century ago which is why that line stands out.
Your poem reminds me of something that I wrote once. One time, I wrote my own “I Am From” poem in a creative writing class. I had to think hard about what could really describe me. I know what it feels like to search into the depths of your mind to find what words can really describe you. So others can never understand the poem as well as the author’s themselves do. The beauty of the “I Am From” poem is that even if the reader doesn’t know the author at all, they can take a glimpse into someone else’s life and see what is really important to others. It sort of makes a connection between people, through poetry and words.
Thanks for your poem. I look forward to seeing what you make next, because I really enjoyed your writing. It made me think deeply. I very much enjoyed the experience and would love to read more such heartfelt and true poems by you. Once again, I thank you for giving me this enjoyable experience.