Mira - As a young adult, when we are asked not to do something, the attraction of doing said thing is often greater than the previously. This idea can be found among young adults across the country, and perhaps across the world; One thing that is prevalent in this idea of ​​“doing something made taboo” is the concept of “forbidden love.” Therefore, although the poems I have chosen to feature in this anthology relate to the ideal of forbidden love, they focus more on the life of the individual - when said "forbidden love" has occurred. collapsed and the individual is left standing in the remains. of what they once had. With the featured poems: Just Friends by Lang Leav, Bad Luck Card by Langston Hughes, and Rubies by Carly Taylor, the ashes and consequences of a fallen "forbidden love" are evident. Just Friends illustrates the intricacies of a forbidden desire for someone that is simply out of reach, and all the emotions that come with it. The reader can infer that the speaker feels love for someone he or she should not. “I know you don’t own me, and maybe I never will…” By emphasizing “maybe,” the reader feels some empathy for the speaker and hope that he will “own” them one day. 'The emotions of empathy and hope found in this poem hold a certain appeal for a young adult reader; as they move away from the teenage angst of everyday life, this poem can give the reader hope. As a young adult in general, emotions run pretty high; with this poem, the emotions evoked are quite raw, easy to read and then resonate with the reader. With the idea that someone else can feel what you feel, we understand the person speaking and their emotions. Young adults are left with the idea...... middle of paper......, which make it a quality piece of literature, include the nature of its primarily free verse, the descriptive imagery and visual and slanted rhymes. found throughout the poem. With the stanza "It hurts to put them down, to stay with the ghost of your hands on my skin", the reader can visualize the love-filled caress the speaker longs for and how empty he feels now that her lover is gone. With the inadvertent description of the color red, “…finding treasures of rubies beneath,” the visual imagery is all the stronger, describing the speaker's struggles casually to the reader; by allowing their own interpretation, the reader can give their own interpretation and could possibly find themselves in a closer relationship with the speaker and the poem. This leads the poem to be considered a quality literary work, which fits well into this anthology..