We Claim | Teen Ink

We Claim

July 24, 2011
By SecretFlame PLATINUM, Portland, Oregon
SecretFlame PLATINUM, Portland, Oregon
20 articles 1 photo 373 comments

Favorite Quote:
"I have a life. I just choose to ignore it."
-one of my friends


We claim that this is the twenty-century,
and that everything has been modernized,
That people’s attitudes have changed,
We claim that sexism has been eradicated,
and discrimination abolished,
This is the age of equality,
And everyone is shown fairness.

If we claim that life has been modernized,
Then why do I see poverty,
Surrounding me,
Not just in alleys, or other countries,
But in our own country,
Our home.
People jobless,
And living off welfare,
With no place to call their own.

Since everyone’s attitudes have changed,
Why do I see bullying?
People judged on clothing, hair, shoes, athletics, and “popularity”.
But more importantly,
Why does no one seem to care?

If sexism has been eradicated,
Why are there still barriers,
Things that we can and cannot do,
Based on gender not ability.
Boys wear blue,
Girls wear pink,
Girls can’t play football,
And boys can’t do cheerleading.
Why can boys stick up for girls,
But girls can’t stick up for boys?

Now that discrimination is gone,
Why are there still people judged on skin, religion, and race?
Why do some people still think they’re better than others?
How can we base our opinion of someone,
On their ethnicity?

Where is this thing you call equality and fairness,
Why are people still biased,
Refusing to open their minds,
If all is justice?

Perfection cannot be achieved,
There will always be some with set minds,
But I pray that those who now make up the minority,
Will someday be a majority.
Those who aren’t afraid to reach out,
To speak up,
To bend and be flexible,
To cross lines no one dares tempt,
Everyone who is equal, fair, and indiscriminate,
Are a start.
But cannot do it alone.

We claim so many things,
But when they are put to the test,
What will we do?
Stay the same in our old ways,
Or dare to conquer adversity with diversity.


The author's comments:
This sort of reflects how I feel about politics, the government, and the world, or at least the bad parts of those things.

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This article has 12 comments.


on Mar. 20 2013 at 9:34 pm
SecretFlame PLATINUM, Portland, Oregon
20 articles 1 photo 373 comments

Favorite Quote:
"I have a life. I just choose to ignore it."
-one of my friends

You go Mckay :D thank you :)

Mckay ELITE said...
on Mar. 20 2013 at 5:29 pm
Mckay ELITE, Somewhere, Virginia
146 articles 0 photos 2230 comments

Favorite Quote:
"The people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world are the ones who do."
—Apple’s “Think Different” commercial, 1997
“Crazy people are considered mad by the rest of the society only because their intelligence isn't understood.”
― Weihui Zhou

AMEN, AMEN, AMEN. PREACH AND TESTIFY! I ask myself all these questions over and over again everyday, especially since I come from minorities. 

on Oct. 8 2011 at 3:24 pm
Love.Hate.Passion., Spring Valley, Illinois
0 articles 0 photos 356 comments

Favorite Quote:
~Hope. Faith. Love~
~Be proud of who you are.You are all unique in a different way.~
~I WILL NOT fade into oblivion , and become less than
a distant memory.~

What a powerful poem!

I completely agree with your opinion on this. Your poem flowed nicely and your words were written with maturity. Great job!


on Sep. 7 2011 at 5:19 pm
SecretFlame PLATINUM, Portland, Oregon
20 articles 1 photo 373 comments

Favorite Quote:
"I have a life. I just choose to ignore it."
-one of my friends

Thank you!!       

on Sep. 7 2011 at 3:02 am
Garnet77 PLATINUM, Sinagpore, Other
31 articles 6 photos 577 comments

Favorite Quote:
"Everything's a triangle." ~ My mother

"Write what you love, write what you care about, because sometimes, it's the easiest way to be heard."

Powerful, powerful beginning that did very well to draw the reader in. I am in complete agreement with you on everything you said. I don't think I could've put it better than you did. Well done :)

on Sep. 5 2011 at 8:16 am
singinginthegardn GOLD, Cowell, Massachusetts
16 articles 2 photos 158 comments

Favorite Quote:
"The role of a writer is not to say what we all can say, but what we are unable to say." ~Anaïs Nin

No problem :)

on Sep. 4 2011 at 1:11 pm
SecretFlame PLATINUM, Portland, Oregon
20 articles 1 photo 373 comments

Favorite Quote:
"I have a life. I just choose to ignore it."
-one of my friends

Thanks!

 


on Sep. 4 2011 at 1:11 pm
SecretFlame PLATINUM, Portland, Oregon
20 articles 1 photo 373 comments

Favorite Quote:
"I have a life. I just choose to ignore it."
-one of my friends

Thanks!

 


on Sep. 4 2011 at 8:50 am
singinginthegardn GOLD, Cowell, Massachusetts
16 articles 2 photos 158 comments

Favorite Quote:
"The role of a writer is not to say what we all can say, but what we are unable to say." ~Anaïs Nin

This is the utter truth..I love your power and strength in this and I completely agree!! Wonderful job <3!

on Aug. 31 2011 at 10:02 am
ItsAshMal SILVER, Guilford, Connecticut
8 articles 0 photos 44 comments

As BreeTayler said, your voice here is strong, and your message is clear. I love all the issues you address, and how they feel like their own little army against imperfection. 

It does feel a little like a essay, with the intro, body, and conclusion so clearly and plaily stated. This isn't necessarily a bad thing thoughn, the clear cut plainness of the poem is what makes its honesty ring so true.

One little grammar tic: "popularity" . should read "popularity." 

Other than that, this is very strong. I feel like you could write a very intense opinion piece about these subjects. 


on Aug. 17 2011 at 10:04 pm
SecretFlame PLATINUM, Portland, Oregon
20 articles 1 photo 373 comments

Favorite Quote:
"I have a life. I just choose to ignore it."
-one of my friends

Thank you!

Could you rate I Am Not Cancer, because I don't think you did.


on Aug. 17 2011 at 10:02 pm
BreeTayler PLATINUM, Carlisle, Arkansas
30 articles 0 photos 57 comments

Favorite Quote:
"Where there is love there is life." --Ghandi

I thought I Am Not Cancer had a strong voice (which it does of course) but this... This has an even stronger voice. Through out my entire reading process I was shaking my head in agreement. Every once in a while I'd go "yea" and "she's right" and "this girl is good" lol not out loud though, that would be weird... But it was a powerful message. 5 stars all the way.