I AM Poem

My kids wrote I AM poems this week and I was taken aback at how some of these rowdy 7 and 8 year olds could achieve so much depth. A few talked about their futures and had some creative imaginations. This inspired me to go through all my junk I'd saved from college and find the I AM Poem I had to write as a requirement in one of my college Language Arts classes. I felt compelled to post it here. I'm going to to read it to them on Monday so they can see that I also enjoy writing and the many assignments I give them in class have more merit than just busywork. Please enjoy.

I AM

by Jasmine Davis

written 9.29.09 

I am creative and strong-willed

I wonder when I’ll get married

I hear the laughter of my deceased Grandmother

I see her smiling face in my mind’s eye

I want to be a famous author

I am creative and strong-willed

I pretend I am a reality TV show celebrity

I feel like I have magical powers

I touch bleak clouds as I drive through Black Mountain

I worry that I won’t fulfill my hearts desires

I cry when people forget to love

I am creative and strong-willed

I understand it takes hard work to achieve your goals

I say that I will be on Oprah and the NY Times Bestselling list

I dream that one day all my wishes will come true

I try to be a little nicer here and there

I hope that people follow their dreams

I am creative and strong-willed 

Hi Mom, I'm a Stripper

I’ve been slack on blogging this month. This will probably be my only post, so let’s make it a good one.

I finally had my first experience at a strip club. I went with some friends of my for my home girls birthday plus a whole bunch of people she knew. I don’t know who was more excited to go, me, her, or the guys we were going with. Going to a strip club was one of those things on my bucket list that I wanted to do, and being a writer I think I needed it especially if I ever wanted to write from the viewpoint of a stripper in one of my future books. So when she asked if I was down to go that night, I said sure! I’m down for anything.

We went to a rather upscale strip club, and by upscale, I mean popular, with the best looking girls. At least that’s what the dudes said who drove us there. I was definitely a little uneasy. But the guys assured us we wouldn’t be out of place. “There’ll be more girls there than guys” one had said, and boy was he right. I don’t know if there were more women there showering gadzooks of $1 bills on the strippers or not, but it seemed like a pretty even split.

One thing that popped into my mind as I was being given a lap dance (a present from the birthday girls male cousin) was, why did I slave away for a 4 year degree and get a job in education that isn’t promised to me next year due to budget cuts, when I could be taking off my clothes and shaking my goodies for money? I mean those girls, the good ones anyway, were getting bank.  And if there were so many people who were enjoying it, why is it such a big deal for women of a respectable human code to be taking off their clothes for money? It’s not like they are hookers on the street having sex with random people for money. They were just dancing. My philosophy is: If it pays the bills and it’s not illegal, it pays the bills. There shouldn’t be a stigma attached to it? Right? But there is. Guys don’t like their girlfriends stripping.  Girls don’t like their girlfriends stripping. Parents don’t like their children stripping. Sure the boyfriends or girlfriends might be fine with it in the beginning, but if the relationship gets serious enough, they don’t want their partner showing all “the bizness” to random strangers. They want to keep intimate body parts within the confines of the relationship.

This is one of those questions that you ponder over as you’re driving down the highway. I certainly couldn’t imagine telling my family I’d left my job as a teacher to strip, or tell them I was doing it part time to cover some bills. Imagine me driving to Kentucky, waltzing though the door and saying, “Hi mom, I’m a stripper.” I think she’d beat the black off me and tell me to go find my common sense. Being the daughter of a preacher, that just wouldn’t fly in her or my stepdad’s book; doesn’t matter if it paid the bills or not. She’d say there is a better way to make money than flashing my boobs and butt every night.

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