I refuse
We walk a tight rope
Between misconceptions and expectations
Hanging between acceptance and individuality
Balancing our voice and oppression
We walk around trying to fit a size double zero
When we're truly a waist of 28
We walk in our gloom
Not knowing when they'll call us out
You and I,
The misfits, the outcasts, the loners
You with glasses and I with unforgivable flaws
We walk with the society
Roam with the crowds,
The girls bragging about their boyfriends
Only to be crying about cheaters tomorrow
The jocks placed on pedistals,
Only to fall like flightless birds tomorrow
We walk with the society
We roam with the crowds
Showing our worth with the megapixels on our phone,
Strutting our voices with the accents we fake,
We play their game,
We pretend to be tame,
We walk with the society
We roam with the crowds
Pretending we don't see death on the news
Perceiving incorrectly, each other's views
We fall sometimes,
We forget ourselves in our characters,
I walk with the society
I roam with the crowd
No more
You hold it against me when I refuse;
Refuse to disrespect
Refuse to fight
Refuse to dramatize
Refuse to curse
Refuse to stay quite
I refuse to walk the line,
I am who I am,
I have been broken
I have been cheated on
And lied to
And betrayed
And screamed at
I have been victimized by this society's abuse
I refuse to give up
I refuse to walk in your line
I refuse to wear makeup
And be arm candy for a basketball player
I refuse to dress down
Just to be a musician's muse
I refuse to cheat on a test
Even if it means my GPA drops below five
I refuse to drink coffee
Even if it's a lot stronger than coke
I refuse to stop making faces at crowds
And mature with time
I refuse to watch people die
And pretend everything's just fine
But most of all,
I refuse to adjust to this cruel, gray world
I'll find another way to ooz
I'll find a new best friend
I'll find a new group of lads
I'll pave my way with time.
But for now,
I strut proudly with my crappy phone,
With my real voice,
With my funny name,
My thin waist,
My nonexistent popularity
The bags under my eyes
But a clear conscience
And a heart as pure as it was at five
I may have darkwd skin
But my soul,
My effort,
My mom's proud voice,
Those are the things that mark my importance,
Not the number of likes on my profile.
I refuse to be defined through a comment bar,
I know my worth from the words coming out of my mouth,
From being a teacher's pride,
From the people I've helped.
I may not be the society's definition of beauty
But my soul holds all the beauty I need
I REFUSE
I refuse
I refuse
-Shaza Malik
Poetry Slam:
This poem is about:
My community