I stand by and watch
As she gets straight A’s
As she gets a reward
For her perfection.
I can see why they love her
The image of perfection
On the outside
Nice and kind on the inside
Smart, beautiful, wonderful
I stand by and watch
As he gets a smile
As the teacher rewards
His one time of good behavior
Because it was so unexpected
Because he will never do it again.
I stand by and watch
As I am overlooked
What do I have
To offer the world?
I have my mediocre,
My almost straight A’s,
My not-quite-beautiful face
My never-perfect-enough
Being.
I stand by and watch as
Those of us with the most conviction
Are overlooked
Those of us that try
And try
And try
Every day of our lives
But never quite get there
Those of us that suffer
Every day
Endless and invisible
I stand by and watch as my friend
Beautiful inside and out
Different, unique,
A different kind of beauty,
Is overlooked
And because of this
I stand by and watch
As she shreds her skin
And leaves her stomach empty
Because she will never be good enough
Because no one cares
Because she suffers every day
And none of the people with power
Do anything about it.
I stand by and watch
As the kids with talents
Are stuck in the shadows
Because they are not pretty
Because they are not perfect
And they begin to believe
In their hearts
That they will never be good enough
I stand by and watch
As thousands kill themselves every day
Some slowly,
Some all at once,
But dying anyways.
I am one of them
And I have no more power
Over their situation than they do.
My heart aches for them
But what can I do?
No one will ever recognize
The mediocre,
The in-between
The invisible children.
