Thank you, Teen Ink, for showing me the value of writing. Anyone can slap down a few sentences on a piece of paper and call it a poem, but thanks to you, I have learned the beauty of true poetry. I learned how to speak my heart with similes and metaphors in a way I didn't know was possible.

At first, getting critiqued online made me feel bad about myself. Then I took some of the advice and my poems started getting better and better. I can now write a poem from deep inside my soul and like how it comes out, something I might never have done if not for Teen Ink. So, thank you, Teen Ink, for the love you've put into my heart.