Praise Poems

I. Eye.
my eyes. I am
Not one color, brown, blue, green
   Not one
emotion, though, choice.
I see the world and
I draw
on paper blends
(dreams) color
my eyes. I am not
a size, a test score, an object
I will not and will never
   be.
So I feel,
       think,
       try,
       travel,
       laugh and smile all the way to
my eyes.
My body is not perfect
   built not for grace
   but to move, to fly
My body is perfect.
My heart is not perfect.
   quick to love to care about
   people, academics, change
My heart is perfect.
My smile is not perfect
   quick to come, too often
   changes to laughter
My smile is perfect.
   For me.
   An Individual.
   I,
who sings louder than she should,
who plays guitar with untrained enthusiasm,
who is not curvy,
who cries and laughs equally
   because the world is complex
complex like me.
I won´t be put
               in a box
               in a corner.
because I believe
   I.
   I am.
   Eye.
I am My Eyes.

Eliza, TN

Different

Horrible kids stare,
they point,
and snicker
when you walk by.

You won't be one of them.
Why would you join those who hurt you?

You don't wear the right clothes,
don't have the right look.
Can't be one of them.

Can't be one of the onlookers.
One of the ones that looks but doesn't see.

That hears but doesn't listen.

Sometimes you want to give in,
be able to end the suffering.

But you can't once you see,
there is no going back

you are different.

You see the real world,
not the fakeafied happy one the onlookers see.

You want to close your eyes,
but you can't.

You need to keep them open,
so that you can change the world.

Mikaela, CT


The mirror reveals lightness
Reveals jubilance
Then only then is it met with approbation
Then only then is it valid
Then only then is it comfortable to share
But I see anger, anguish, fear, jealousy and sadness too
These are right too
These are human
These are honest
These are authentic
Yet a latent disapproval on these downer feelings lingers hauntingly
I do not let the social mores dominate me and my expression of me
of my whole person
of my complete self
I am all of me

Anna, NY