All Nonfiction
- Bullying
- Books
- Academic
- Author Interviews
- Celebrity interviews
- College Articles
- College Essays
- Educator of the Year
- Heroes
- Interviews
- Memoir
- Personal Experience
- Sports
- Travel & Culture
All Opinions
- Bullying
- Current Events / Politics
- Discrimination
- Drugs / Alcohol / Smoking
- Entertainment / Celebrities
- Environment
- Love / Relationships
- Movies / Music / TV
- Pop Culture / Trends
- School / College
- Social Issues / Civics
- Spirituality / Religion
- Sports / Hobbies
All Hot Topics
- Bullying
- Community Service
- Environment
- Health
- Letters to the Editor
- Pride & Prejudice
- What Matters
- Back
Summer Guide
- Program Links
- Program Reviews
- Back
College Guide
- College Links
- College Reviews
- College Essays
- College Articles
- Back
A Letter To Self
Criticisms…
seemed to stands out
when I was surrounded by a pool of voice —
arguments, dialogs, laughter….
became background noises
Object
they were discussing me like an object
they made up stories about me
they gave me labels that are false
Nervous
I started feeling nervous around people —
antisocial became my new label
I started doubting myself
I started wondering who am I
I was lost
Faith
I lost faith in myself
I listened to people —
people who didn’t even know me
I was living my life to make others happy
while I was
suffering…
Identity
I avoided looking into the mirrors
because
I realized that I couldn't recognize myself anymore
I was trapped by lies
I was disconnected with my own self
Discover
return to myself, discover who I am
that was what I needed
stop worrying about what I was projecting to the world
be real
Eclipse
like a total eclipse
when I started being myself, I shine
even under darkness
the light can be beautiful and blinding
Notice
I started to notice people who appreciate me as who I am
I started to find my potential
I understood now
that believing in myself
is a source of courage, a source of happiness
Change…no!
I’m not afraid of being different anymore
that only makes me unique
I won’t restyle my appearance to satisfy the others
I won’t change my personalities to make the others accept me
Epilogue
I’m just an epitome of many others
in this world.
I hesitated in the process
I might be weak at one point
but
I stayed true to myself in the end
and
I found strength and confidence.
Similar Articles
JOIN THE DISCUSSION
This article has 0 comments.
I was inspired to write this poem through a conversation with my friend. We were talking about self-esteem and how we deal with judgements. I think a lot of times, we try to hide our real self because we are afraid of criticisms and eventually we start to lose our own identity. Especially for teenagers, I know that our desire to fit in often cause us to lose confidence in our true self. So I reflected on my personal experiences while writing this poem. I hope people can see that it is okay to be different, and it is important to be confident and be yourself.