Tension

She sits at her private table
Biting her nails
Twirling her hair,
The test begins.
She scans through the questions,
Her face cringing with fear.
She sucks on her pencil,
And thinks about starting the first question.
She knows this question,
She knows it!
Working slowly through it,
She colours the first circle in.
With assurance of understanding and completing the first question,
She continues with the rest.
The overwhelming feeling of the thousands of people in this test,
Goes away like the sun behind the clouds.
The time passes slowly by,
And she ever so slowly gets through it all.
Five minutes to go,
Better guess them all.
She randomly colours in bubbles,
Knowing they like to see you try.
The test - a trifling challenge.
Finally over.
Sit and wait for the results.

- Melissa Chen

This piece is reflecting on an exam I took about 2 weeks ago, for a school that I would be entering as a year nine student. I just decided on reflecting on this because there was a lot that happened in this test that particularly annoyed me, truthfully. I find that the best poetry is the poetry you sit down and write, without thinking about what you write down too much. I believe that to be true emotion. This was an extremely important test and a lot of pressure was put on me by my fellow peers and especially by my parents, so letting all that stress and tension through the medium of poetry was a great feeling.
This test was especially hard as well, so the mood was tense and I was so nervous!
This whole poem is describing what I was doing during the whole test. I believe I created an image of how I was stressed and having trouble with the questions, and my nervousness in the entrance of the test. '...biting her nails...' The ending of the test is also described, and the urgency to complete it by randomly filling in bubbles.
My poem is composed completely in free verse, although I have utilised several basic poetic techniques. I have utilised imagery, and repetition. 'She knows this question, she knows it!' I have used a simile, and without even knowing!
I have also used alliteration in writing 'trifling challenge,' seeing as they both have the same beginning sound.
And now, the tension has left me, I've poured out my soul for you to see. :)