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Self Awareness
Poetry Editor:
LaQueena Williams, 15
Massachusetts
It's hard being a teen. There are so many changes that we face as young women. We just have to try our best to be who we are, even if it's changing every day.
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Insecure
Rachel Simon, 13
New York
Insecure,
afraid to show,
all she wants
is to go with the flow.
Her peers watch
her every move,
but what is she
trying to prove?
That she's the same
and nothing more.
That she's too scared
to ever soar?
In a crowded room
she looks around.
She stays hidden,
not a sound.
It takes awhile
for her to come out,
but when she does
she's ridden* with doubt.
What if I'm not liked?
What if I'm weird?
Oh, no, she thinks,
this is just what I feared.
Then he walks over
and takes her hands,
and in that moment
she understands.
You don't have to be
the same.
You don't have to hide
behind layers of shame.
You can be different,
loud and unique.
Don't be unsure
of whatever you speak!
Whatever you are
let it be what you please,
because what you feel
is what everyone sees.
*Ridden: disturbed by
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Who am I?
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Deano E., 16
Florida
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Who am I? A face. A name. A voice.
Do other people really know who I am?
To my parents I am still a child.
To my teachers I'm-well, a problem,
a challenge, a grade,
sometimes hope and sometimes trouble.
Do people really notice me?
Or better, notice the real me?
Some know my name.
But that's all they do.
Sometimes I wonder if other
people go through what I go through?
I am part of many people.
A teenager,
but mostly adult (and I admit it).
Part child,
pieces of a puzzle that I sometimes
think will never fit together.
Who I Am
Shaylia Monroe
People try to find the real me
but they have no clue
for they try to paint a picture of how they see me—
but if they only knew!
How great I am,
I'll have everyone say.
What a good person I am,
to be a young lady with great confidence
and good sense.
People will start to see
the true young lady that lies within me.
That person is someone I'm proud to be.
I do the best that I can,
but I'll always be myself
to let people see how I really am.
Artwork by Salem Gebrezgi, 17
Massachusetts
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Take Me As I Am
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Sarah Torau, 15
Pennsylvania
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I am not a girl who is constantly on the phone,
I am not a girl who hates to be alone.
I am not a girl who is always on e-mail,
and I'm not the type of girl that likes to paint her fingernails.
I don't have the newest, up-to-date "celly,"
and when I am around a guy my legs don't turn to jelly.
I don't have the trendiest clothes,
I don't have a piercing in my belly button or nose.
I really despise boy bands that actually sound like girls,
And I really don't do my hair up in those cute little curls.
So take me as I am and as the woman I am soon to be,
for I am the girl who has to be free.
I am a girl who gazes at the stars,
peering through her telescope at the Milky Way, Jupiter, and Mars.
I am the girl that you cannot tie down,
I am the girl that you will never catch with a frown.
I am a girl that brings joy to the world,
I am the rose waiting for its petals to be unfurled.
Take me as I am.
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Where Am I From? |
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Rebekah Aliyah Mastel, 13
Nevada
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I am from
hopscotch, candy, and the beach.
I am from
several divorces, and many, many weddings.
I am from
houses filled with cousins, uncles, and aunts.
I am from
Aerosmith and Styx, Garth Brooks, and Garbage.
I am from
gummi bears, popcorn, sweaters, and movies.
I am from
piano, guitar, and a million types of music.
I am from
laughter, singing, and noise.
I am from
pot roast, corned beef, and potatoes.
I am from
knish*, latkes*, and cheesecake.
I am from
deaths and grieving, births and rejoicing.
I am from
individuality, and a drive to be unique.
I am from
people who love me.
Where are you from?
*Knish: a fried or baked turnover or roll of dough with a filling such as meat, kasha, or potato
*Latke: a fried pancake made of grated potato
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