Slam Poem 8

Right now while you’re staring at this screen there’s a girl out there

A boy out there

And they are looking in the mirror and screaming so loud you can’t hear them

They stand so fragile in front of the mirror who shows what only you can see and they criticize and point out every flaw they think they see and then later they’ll skip a meal or scrub their face to hard and they’ll cry and when you go to school tomorrow they’ll expect a compliment

Someone

Anyone

To notice

But you won’t. You’re going to sit in your chair and your classmates are dying and you are so oblivious because it doesn’t involve you

Welcome to America

You are beautiful as long as you are beautiful enough to be seen and if you want to be noticed your teeth better shine so bright and your hair so smooth. Your bones protrude and your hips curve too and it’s okay to already be this way but to go from who you are to who you think they want you to be is a crazy master minded plan we couldn’t have dreamed and we will all complain about this. We don’t want this

When did you step up?

But I can’t get mad

I’ve suffered the sin of wanting my pants a smaller size and my pores smaller and my eyes more wide and it doesn’t help when the people in this world love to point out the parts of you they don’t call perfectly fine and so it’s a cycle of us complaining and changing

We want society to change and we want to be accepted

Heads up

Society can’t change as long as you’re caving in and if you want to be accepted learn to love your skin.

It’s going to be okay. You’re born you for a reason. Hold yourself in the moment that if we went back in time and we played your life you wouldn’t be you because it was a one in a million chance that you got conceived and that should be enough to make you feel good about you and so smile and calm down. Life is to short to wallow in the bad times when the future’s in our hands and the good times are just ahead. 

Guide that inspired this poem: 

Comments

jwiener

Truly inspirational! I like how right away, you use the word "you" to speak directly to the reader and really use poetry as a way of informing others of issues in society. You also include your own story, to prove the points you make in the last stanza and to offer to support to others who may find themselves in a similar situation. It's hard to pick a favorite line, but I think I'll go with "You are beautiful as long as you are beautiful enough to be seen" because you point out the flaws of society and how this should not be the case. I also really like how you included the image of life being a cycle of complaining and changing, because unfortunately this is true, but your poem inspires people to stop changing according to what "society" thinks you should look/act like and how you should just be yourself. Have you ever entered this poem somewhere, like a school newspaper or literary magazine? I think it will really give people a new perspective on life.

ecarroll59

that means so much! i try and make my poetry directed towards everyone. ive never entered anything; i dont really know how to go about and find a contest o:

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