The Scars of Growing Up

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Pictures are the enemy of the timid
Not feeling up to par in the looks department
Me, myself, and I are my harshest critics
It took years to be comfortable in my bare skin
To look through the lenses that emphasize my dorky personality
At the mirror in front of me, and love who I am
Acne scars embellish the soft skin around my pale rose lips
Signs that remind me, I survived growing up
New breakouts in the middle of my brows
Prove to me, I still have more growing up to do
Freckles dusted across my cheeks and nose
Each dot representing a summer’s day well spent outside
Ghostly white skin, dry and reddened
Battled and beaten by the whips of this winter’s wind
Wide green eyes that resemble nothing of my mother or father
Wild emerald irises that hold back the words I do not speak
Words that let you know how sensitive I am
To hateful comments said behind my back
Or a joke that has gone too far
That “beautiful” smile people always point out
“That smile looks good on you! You should do it more.”
Masks the broken pieces of my small ego
That my so called friends destroyed long ago
Although the smile that few notice
Is the real, genuine warmth of how happy I am
When I spend 3 hours or more in the water, swimming until I can’t swim any more
Seeing my beloved cat as he jumps up on my shoulders
Going down town and giving gift cards to those on the street who need them
Seeing the gratitude in my neighbor’s worn out eyes as I clear the drive way
Hearing the music flowing out of my piano as my fingers dance across the ivory keys
Running to meet my other half after travelling 1,000 miles to see him
Who am I with no filters blocking the real me?
An intelligent young lady who has risen above the shell
That other people that had created for her
A girl who has accepted the scars that fuel her fire
To be better than those who did her wrong
A human being that takes pride in the small favors she does
Because she wants someone else to have what she did not when she was growing up
 

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