Background: This was a poem we had to write for creative writing following a rigid, set structure. The example the teacher gave began "I am older but not much wiser" and spoke of how they weren't "sure life is worth it" and applied some questionable metaphors - in other words, amateur emo poetry. The structure had to be as follows:

I am (2 special characteristics you have)
I wonder (something you are actually curious about)
I hear (an imaginary sound)
I see (an imaginary sight)
I want (an actual desire/s)
I am (the first line of the poem repeated)

I pretend (something you actually pretend to do)
I feel (a feeling you actually have)
I touch (an imaginary touch)
I worry (something that really bothers you)
I cry (something that makes you very sad)
I am (the first line of the poem repeated)

I understand (something you know is true)
I say (something you believe)
I dream (something you actually dream of)
I try (something you really make an effort at)
I hope (something you actually hope for)
I am (first line of the poem repeated)

- - -

I Start All My Sentences with ‘I’

I am wiser but not much older
I wonder why people think life’s so hard
I hear today singing “Macho Man”. Badly.
I see Keira Knightley beckoning me to bed.
I want people to stop complaining so much.
I am wiser but not much older.

I pretend to be smarter and deeper than I am.
I feel amused by amateur emo poetry.
I touch the fire of what I could be.
I worry that the Mavs won’t win the series.
I cry when Will and Lyra part because it's just so right.
I am wiser but not much older.

I understand that the limit as n approaches infinity of (1 plus (1 over n)) to the nth power is e.
I say we’re actually not that bad off.
I dream I’m a weasel trapped in a refrigerator.
I try to differentiate complex fractions.
I hope we learn to cheer up.
I am wiser but not much older.