she’s kind
when she shouldn't be
she’s silent
when she should scream
when she does speak
her words are brief
but embedded in her eyes
are the tears of
a thousand sleepless nights
she believes in love for every girl except herself
forever living in the fantasies sitting on her shelves
she is quick to oblige
and even quicker
not to let anyone see her cry
she maintains a joyful facade
until she is home in her bed
because heaven forbid
they find out she is flawed
she’s struggling behind smiles
lying in between laughs
she sees each new day as a trial
how much can one person bear?
how long until she snaps?
would anyone even notice
if one day
she was simply
no longer there?
Please give a detailed explanation about the meaning and main idea of this poem.
This is a poem about the pressures that can come with being a teenage girl in today’s society. Beneath every grin, a girl could be crying inside, but no one would ever know because we feel like we have to be perfect. In my own experience and that of people close to me, living like this is exhausting, and sometimes you just feel like giving up.
Please explain your writing and thought process regarding this poem.
While I came up with this poem , I was drawing mostly from my own experiences and thoughts, but I decided to write it from a third person perspective because I know I’m not the only person who feels this way and I wanted others to be able to relate to my poem. It took a lot of re-writing to figure out exactly what I wanted to say, but I’m happy with the story I ended up telling.
Why did you choose to write this poem?
I chose to write this poem because I think it has an important message that should be paid more attention to. Feelings of inadequacy, depression, and loneliness are so common and often people don’t even realize when someone is struggling. Hopefully this can help those who read it to have an easier time recognizing these kinds of emotions within themselves and others.
Do you have any tips or anything to share with the youth writers who may be reading this?
Know that you’re not alone, even if it feels like no one cares. And even when it feels like there’s no other option, please don’t give up. <3
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