"Just Be You" by Daniella Cressman had me thinking. Daniella's poem depicts how stereotypes can be misleading and often bring an individual to deeper confusion. The way she phrases and organizes the words in a rhyming fashion depict the stereotypes we all grew up in, and how it impacts the way we think.

     I didn't delve into the meaning of the poem at first, but when I decided to skim through the poems this one seemed to get me to return. As I reread it, I realized that Daniella captures the hard truths of being a stereotype as not necessarily a good thing. "Sleep soundly and pretend/ Pretend that we are the same." That line brought me to wonder about my past thoughts and how I, like many others, aspire to fit into society with the mold set for us. The opening line "Do you fit the stereotype?" also made me think about if I was truly living to what I - and society - wanted me to do. 

     Though I have thought about whether or not I really wanted to be who society wanted me to be, this poem made me wonder more - am I really pretending?