Getting my first Teen Ink, I opened it up to a random page. The very first thing that caught my eye was a large poem that took up and entire page: "To Our Collective Body" by Daisy Blossom Doty. The free-verse poem was dedicated to everyone. Everyone who has felt insecure at one point. Everyone who has felt ugly, unworthy, unheard. The hated and the haters alike, all acknowledged in one poem to explain that no we are not ugly, unworthy, or unheard. Every teenager can connect to this poem because it's honesty and love for the readers reading it. The author's true belief that everyone deserves to feel good about themselves warm's the heart of the reader, including mine.

While reading this for the first time, I read each line with a smile, a tear, or a laugh. The author pegs everyone as beautiful stating, "Screw them. / Screw their hate. / Scew their ridiculous need to put you down. / You're beautiful." Doly continues to compliment the typical teenager and says her ode even goes to the ones "who couldn't care less about / What they look like. / Because you are just as worthy." The poem empowers the reader. It raises the sense of self-esteem while at the same time warming the heart to the point where a reader continues to reiterate the message.