My friend once told me
That she hated
Society
She hated the way
It made her feel
And the way
She was judged
And labeled
She wrote beautiful things
Inspiring things
Some about life
Some about boys
Some about friends
But a lot were about society
She told me
How unfair it was
“How can we even live?”
She asked me
I did not reply
I only listened
She told me
That people shouldn’t be
Judged on;
What they wear
How they look
Their mistakes
Their parents
Or other things
That you can’t control
Or happen accidental
I listened
Quietly
Considering her ideals
So the next day,
I decided
To sit next to that boy
That isn’t so popular
The first thought,
Was to judge his clothes
But I waved the matter away
We became friends
And I had learned all about him
He wasn’t that guy
That people saw him as
Just because of the way
He dresses
He was so much more
Another day went by
And I ran into
This punk, scary girl
Everyone knew her
For her reputation
I normally
Would have
Put my head down
And tried to get out
Of her way
But I remembered
Not to judge
Once I began talking to her
I realized that I had
Nothing to be afraid of
She had made mistakes
She had done some wrongs
But in the end,
She was so much more
I was surprised
At my findings
I didn’t think
That if I stopped
To really get to know
People
That I would find out a lot
That if I pushed aside
Labels
I would find truth
I came back to my friend
And was inspired
I wanted to know more
She seemed to have so much
Advice
I looked up to her
I started to value her words
Then she told me
Not to listen to everyone else
She told me
To be my own person
She told me
If I let them control me
I wouldn’t be happy
Once again
I listened deeply
And thoughtfully
She had became my friend
But a part of me
Was scared
“What will people say?”
I had feared
Judgement by my peers
About making friends with her
They had told me
What she has done
The mistakes she made
The things she said
I was shocked
Could this be the same person?
The same person
That I came to
For advice?
I couldn’t quite
Stop listening
To those voices
Who told me
She was trouble
So I didn’t defend her
When it came time
Still after that,
I thought about what she told me
I knew
I wouldn’t be happy
If I let them control me
If I cared too much
About what everyone else thought
So I gave up
I threw everything down
I lost a few friends
On the way
I was talked about
More
Behind my back
a few people started to
Avoid me
People gave me looks
And I was getting
More and more
Disliked
Because I stood against
The crowd
And decided to keep by her side
Instead of everyone else’s
It took a while
But I knew
That the things that she done
Were in the past
And that,
She needed a friend
So I stayed
And we became close
More and more
I treasured
Her thoughts
And ideas
We disagreed
On some beliefs
But we were
Pretty much
On the same page
Soon,
A storm
Rolled in
And everything was quiet
Her advice stopped coming
And she stopped listening to me
I could sense
The judgement
In her words
Towards others
And
Towards me
I could see
The labels
Being stamped
On my forehead
From something
I had done
I was confused
Was this not
The same girl
Who taught me
Not to label people?
Not to judge people?
What had happened to her?
She of all people
Would know
How much it hurt
Soon after
She had said
She was scared of
what other people thought
“I can’t be seen with her.”
But see,
She might have lost friends
Or support
Or popularity
If she decided
Not to listen to those words
But she did not feel
I was worth it
She knew
That I had lost things
When I choose her side
Every time
She knew of the consequences
But I never told her
The postives
Yes, I lost some friends
And some respect
And I got looks
But a couple of people
Valued my choice
They respected me
Because I knew
Of the things she had said
To others
I knew of the secrets
She spilled
I even heard
First hand stories
From the people
She hurt
But that did not stop me
They told me
They were proud
And also were inspired by my choices
They told me
That it must have been hard
To stand up for someone
And realize you are alone
They gave me credit
For sticking by her side
Even when things were tough
And when things were lost
They told me that
I had true strength
And integrity
Because despite
Everything going on
I knew
That she needed a friend
To be there for her
But I couldn’t take credit
I smiled and thanked them
Still, I told them the truth
I told them that
She taught me that
She taught me
To hold my head high
She taught me how to be a friend
But she never knew that
I wonder now
Where is she?
I don’t mean location
I mean
Where is that girl I met?
That girl with the values
I adored
Was I?
The only one?
Actually listening to what she said?
But I have also learned
That no one is perfect
Everyone accidentally
Finds them selfs
Judging someone else
Everyone falls into the trap
Of listening to everyone else
So that is why
I do not condemn her
For what she had done
For the pain
That her words
Have caused me
Everyone falls off track
Sometimes
So,
Just like I have learned
I did not judge her
For putting labels on people
Who made mistakes
And I will not
Care about what others say
About me or her
When they walk by
Because I was listening
To what she said
And I had matured
A lot
From everything I have learned
I just hope
She listens
To her own advice
Because she still
Gives the best
She just needs
To believe that
For herself