She’s just a silly girl

She’s more than a little crazy

She drops too many classes

She can’t handle stress

 

I hear them say it all

 

She will never fit in

She cannot stand out

She will never be extraordinary

 

I shouldn’t let them get to me

 

She’s only an okay painter

She can’t be responsible

She’s shallow

She’s mean

She’s cold

 

They can’t be right?

Can’t let them get to me

 

She’s nervous

She’s a freak

“It’s amazing how little she can do,”

 

If only they would open their eyes!

Would they see how their words sting me then?

Could they feel the razor-blade-butterflies in my stomach?

 

They only ever seem to see the surfaces of me

Look longer if you care

Look from a different angle

The walls, the barriers, don’t judge me by first impressions

I never was good at those

Let me try again to show you who I am

 

Beneath the accidental facades

See all the my sides

Look through my multifaceted personality

Watch me shine

I am imaginative not crazy

I am stronger than they think

 

They have to be wrong

 

I care too much that’s why

Care too much to handle the s t r e s s of it all

 

But I’m learning to let go

Of what they think

 

To the vast and judgmental Them,

 

Look closer!

Look longer

Then,

Take a step back

See the brilliant shards of who I am

See your own reflections

Diamonds? Crystals? Glass? Maybe something else?

I’m still figuring it out

Look! Look! LOOK!

I’m here, just beneath the surface

Waiting to be found

To be seen

To be heard

Just look.