This Body
This body is no temple.
My
Scarred
Sides
And
My
Dull
Eyes
Tarnished,
My
Body. This is no temple.
1/26/2024
Sinden Goldberg was born and raised in Washington, DC. They are studying at Duke Ellington School of the Arts, in the Literary Arts and Media department, as a part of the 2027 class. They are a poet and author, inspired by poets Ocean Vuong and Richard Siken. To be sure, all the editors at The Skinny Poetry Nation are indelibly proud of the brilliance that makes its home in them.
Family
Your family is so perfect,
Anger
Emerging
Children
Neglected
Anger
Divorcing
Parents
Intoxicated
Anger
So perfect, your family is.
1/15/2024
Julionna Morrison is a senior at Arrowhead Union High School. She wrote her poem about families behind closed doors and their imperfections. This is Morrison’s first time writing a Skinny; she says, “it was fun and interesting to try out a technique she’s never used before.”
They always fought
Screaming
destruction
Profanity
heartbreak
Screaming
broken
household,
fatigue
Screaming
They always fought.
1/15/2024
Jairo Alavez is a senior attending Arrowhead Union High School. Outside of school he loves to play soccer and hang out with friends. This is his first time writing in the Skinny form. Alavez reports that he loved the process of it. This poem is written for those having problems with a divided household.
You’re fading away.
thin
white
lines
create
thin
unrecognizable
people–
too
thin.
You’re fading away.
1/15/2024
Emma Fingleton is a junior at Arrowhead Union High School. She enjoys writing and savoring the company of her friends. She wrote this poem to convey the unspoken truth of the genuine effects of drug use, specifically on the people surrounded by the user. She hopes to continue to write these types of poems, as the unique Skinny form is fun to work with.
Mental Health Matters Too
Sickness
Insufferable
Calamity
Killjoy.
Sickness
Ignominious
Cruel
Kibosh.
Sickness
Mental. Health. Matters. Too.
1/15/2024
Arrowhead Union High School student, Emily Baber, wrote this Skinny on mental health her junior year. This topic was easily chosen, as she has realized the importance of mental health since the raw age of 12. Her Creative Writing teacher, and published writer, Elizabeth Jorgensen, has been very encouraging throughout Baber’s writing process. Indeed, she will continue to write and create artwork based off the importance of mental health, and even plans on going into art therapy as a career in the near future.
Peer Pressure
just try it once
Said
Money
Consuming
Withdrawals
Said
Dependency
Self-hatred
Anger
Said
just try it once
1/15/2024
Andrew Catalano is a senior at Arrowhead Union High School. Outside of school, he very much enjoys playing hockey and hanging out with his friends. Catalano’s piece is about all of the bad in addiction. In the context of his submission, he shares that he found the process of composing poetry extremely “impactful.” To be sure, all of The Skinny Poetry Nation editors are enamored with the results of his creative writing efforts.
Trash on earth.
Garbage
Grows,
Litter
Lingers,
Garbage
Glares.
Unite,
Clean
Garbage.
Earth on trash.
1/15/2024
David Dobbertin is a senior at Arrowhead Union High School. Outside of school, he enjoys playing basketball and spending time with friends and family. This is his first time writing in the Skinny fixed form of poetry, and he loved how it turned out. His poem was written to raise awareness of pollution and express the need for change.
My Grandpa Had
Cancer
sad
weak
depressed
Cancer
sick
angry
unmotivated
Cancer
My Grandpa Had
1/15/2024
Dylan Ehnert is a junior at Arrowhead High School. He likes watching football and basketball and spending time with friends. This is his first time writing in the Skinny fixed form of poetry. This particular poem is written about his grandpa and the problems he had to face.
Sympathy
“We care about your mental health.”
Focus!
Hours
of
work.
Focus!
Get
some
sleep.
Focus!
“We care about your mental health.”
1/15/2024
MollyClaire Gibbons is a senior at Arrowhead High School. Next year, she is planning on going to Columbia College Chicago, majoring in graphic design with a possible minor in creative writing. This is her first time writing Skinnys, but is planning to attempt more in the future.
Alone on campus
Never
Leave
Door
Open.
Never
Walk
At
Night.
Never.
Alone, on campus
1/15/2024
Olivia M. Greuel is a senior at Arrowhead Union High School. She enjoys dancing for the Liberty Dance Center in Waukesha and playing board and card games with family and friends in her free time. This is her first time writing a Skinny and she enjoyed the process, as well as how her poem turned out. Her poem was written to bring awareness about college campus crimes and it expresses her own anxiousness about living on a college campus next year.
The Skinny Poetry Nation 