At some point in my life I want to publish my own, original, book of poetry. During my time at Loyola, I began taking poetry classes simply as core requirements that allowed me to get my degree. However, after doing well in my intro to poetry course, I fell in love. Reading and writing poetry did not seem like 'work' in the sense that other homework did. It felt more like a creative outlet where I could releive stress while being productive in an intelligent manner. After that intro course I decided to take a poetry workshop this time. During the workshop I was given prompts for poems and would bring them in to have my classmates critique them. At the end of the semester I had to create a final portfolio displaying the poems I had written throughout the semester. After my first workshop was when I really knew that writing poetry was something that I wanted to continue doing even after I graduate. One of my most recent poems titled "Cabernet and New Pajamas" is included below.

Cabernet and New Pajamas

by Chloe Queen

I waited for your call that kept me

from forgetting the nights we’d spent

waiting to greet the sleeping sun.

Tiptoeing down the staircase, past my

parents’ bedroom and out the back

door. Down the maple-lined gravel

road and into the field, making love

on the tear-soaked grass. Wishing the

foreseen pain of the moment I fell for

your broken heart would last forever.

But now it's December and I see you

driving down our road with her, while

cabernet and new pajamas replace the

affection you used to show me. Her

freshly painted manicure can’t pick up

your pieces like my worn hands can.

Her bleached smile can’t love you

like my coffee-stained smile loves

you. But what do I know about love?

What do I know about affection?

About the sun? About tiger lillies?

About December? About me? About

chocolate covered macaroons? About

You? About Her? The tear-soaked

grass has quickly frosted over.