When I tell my familyWhen I tell my family I want to be a writer, they smile and say,We see you in the backyard with your writingThey say,We hear you making up all those stories.And,We used to write poems.And,It's a good hobby, we see how quiet it keeps you.They say,Maybe you should be a teacher,a lawyer,do hair...I'll think about it, I say And maybe all of us know this is just another one of my stories.
The poem when I tell my family really resinated with me because all throughout my life, aside from my parents, my family has seen my goals as just a silly pipe dream that's not going to anywhere. I specifically relate to where the poem states Maybe you should be a teacher, a lawyer, do hair... because when I was younger I told my family I wanted to be an actress, and only my parents took me seriously. Then I realized I wanted to be a forensic scientist, and told my family my grandparents on both sides put even more pressure on me to be a lawyer, or a doctor instead and utilize my intelligence in bigger ways. So for most of my life I have felt less than in the eyes of everyone but my parents. I also just like how the poem is put together and how it gives you a feeling her family is doubting her without outright saying it.I think this way of phrasing the poem shows that she is well intentioned, yet they still don't take Jackie's goals seriously.