Everyone Knows

Fri, 03/06/2015 - 23:05 -- GDizzle

 

I saw him on the corner of the street,

Holding a sign,

With the same words the rest of them say.

What is he really going to use the money for?

Everyone knows.

 

I walked into the store,

A child running up and down the aisles,

His mother yelling.

Was she, a child herself, ready to be a mother?

Everyone knows.

 

I saw a man who couldn’t walk

Without his canes,

Because of the weight he carried.

Should he be eating what he's eating?

Everyone knows.

 

It's too easy to stare,

Too easy to whisper,

Too easy to look away.

 

People's lives

Are a little too messy sometimes.

But at least mine looks fine--

Behind a filter.

 

 

I fought in the Vietnam War,

Like so many of us.

And like so many of us, I have PTSD.

The bottle became my best friend,

Replacing those who I once cared for,

And who once cared for me.

I have no one.

I know I don’t deserve to be loved,

But do you really know?

 

I was sexually abused when I was twelve.

My parents divorced and I feel it was my fault.

My father left,

I was desperate for love.

My vision was clouded,

With insecurity, regret and pain.

Then I became pregnant.

Everyone is ashamed of me.

I know I deserve to be judged,

But do you really know?

 

My mother committed suicide when I was fifteen.

I acted out physically,

Until I hurt my best friend.

So I decided to eat.

When I'm told to stop eating,

I only eat more.

I sold my car last month,

Because I can’t work,

And the health bills are piling up.

I know I’m not good enough,

But do you really know?

 

These stories are heard,

By choice.

Choosing to break down walls

Choosing to listen,

Choosing to

See.

 

Without the filter.

 

Who am I,

Without the filter?

Do I really know?

 

 

 

 

 

 
This poem is about: 
My community
My country
Our world
Poetry Terms Demonstrated: 

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