Archived: To-Do List by Elizabeth Dorst (Junior)

It's nice when I can count the worries on my hand
I look at my list
(my digits)
and I know where I stand
Then I can start to check them off one by one,
Using a knife I cut my worries from my hand
(very fun)
I'm left with a beautiful perfect red stump,
No more worries!
But then I look
(with horror)
to my right, Five more worries,
and no way to remove them.

Biography: I live with a tiny dog. She keeps me company when I’m writing at home. I write things that come straight from my brain, and I try not to edit or alter my work in any way; It’s raw, basically. I think my biggest inspirations are Stephen King and Edgar Allen Poe. They write disturbing things, and I love it. Something about the disturbing side of life intrigues me. I like getting lost in something that makes me feel emotion. Perhaps it’s because I have lived a rather troubled life. Long ago someone important left me, and it has affected much of who I am. Creating and venting through words has helped in a way. When I write a poem, I’d like to think that Poe or King would enjoy it if they could read it. It doesn’t matter if they thought it was good or similar to theirs, what matters is that they enjoyed it. I hope people enjoy my work, even if they don’t think it’s Shakespeare. If they don’t enjoy it I hope they are disturbed by it. Enjoyment or disturbance, either is successful to me.