This paper reconceptualises linguistic identity for the contemporary era by recognising the integral role of socioeconomic influence in the construction of linguistic identities. By building upon Rampton’s (1990) framework of linguistic repertoire, this case study of two Chinese adolescents explores how linguistic identity is creatively expressed through the construction of twelve English as Second Language (ESL) poems. The data consist of a three-week, online poetry workshop and follow-up interviews. The poems and interview transcripts were coded for each facet of linguistic repertoire using Rampton’s framework (inheritance, affiliation, and expertise) as the thematic analytical tool. Two additional facets (expectation and affluence) were found, resulting in a total of five facets of linguistic repertoire. Participants displayed a strong sense of language inheritance toward their L1 (Mandarin Chinese) and mixed feelings of affiliation towards their L2 (English). They demonstrated strong sentiments of language expertise and an inclination to show off their bilingualism while possessing high expectations of their English abilities. Themes of affluence revealed an awareness of educational privilege; English was seen as a “tool” to acquire more capital and access international communities. Therefore, inheritance, affiliation, expertise, expectation, and affluence comprise these Chinese adolescents’ linguistic identity, revealing socioeconomic influence to be integral to contemporary expressions of linguistic identity.