Dedicated to the haters

Today I am 11 years old, I feel young even though I am old and aged

Yesterday I was younger, more lively, like a newborn butterfly

On the street I am anonymous, lonely because no one knows me

In my room I am me, I can be who I want to be, I do what I want to do

(In moderation, my mom has rules)

To my mom I am her Gemini twin, her first born, responsible young woman

To my dad I am worthless, a waste of time, not applicable to his life

My friends think I am energetic, that I laugh too loud,

sometimes like a howling hyena,

other times like a caterpillar, quiet and barely heard

Really I am loud, caring, and a good person

But not everybody sees that, because people judge a lot

From rumors, what I look like, things I did in the past

But I know I am who I am

I look like what I look like

And there’s no changing that

I wouldn’t want to

So don’t try to drag me down, because I’ll just come back up

Like a floaty

When you push it down, it always comes back up

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This poem is published in The World in Me, a compilation of original poetry written by young people ages 8 – 17 who stayed with their families in housing at Solid Ground’s Broadview Emergency Shelter & Transitional Housing for women and children. The young authors who contributed to The World in Me are not identified by their real names, and some details have been changed to protect the privacy and confidentiality of them and their families. The authors retain copyrights on their individual works.

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