"Content"
By Brooke Modjewski
I understand that I am different
I relate strongly to the ugly duckling
I'm not bad-looking but
I'm just not like everyone around me
I understand that I am different
I dance in public to the music that's in my ears
I act like my life is a music video
I know I look childish
I understand that I am different
I like expressing myself through material things
I wear hot pink eyeshadow
I don't mind wearing something that others wouldn't
I understand that I am different
I have a disorder that makes me go haywire from time to time
I can often be two different people
I am not ashamed to be mentally ill
I understand that I am different
I am a woman that likes women
I can sense your distaste every time I tell you
I don't see why who I love is distasteful
I understand that I am different
I am very comfortable with who I am
I may not be like you but
I am a diamond in the rough
"This poem is a growing product of my process of self-knowing that started at age seventeen. As I am now nearing twenty, I've found that it's not possible to change myself as I thought it was in adolescence. I hope everyone can learn to embrace everything about themselves rather than feel ashamed."
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“Dan in Blue”
I've seen the pines
Pink desert skies
Snow falling
Slowly
Green grape vines
Ocean views
Sand and sleet
But nothing compares to when we meet
[Please see the posting for April 25 for another poem by Cirina Gasparri.]
