fractional representation

Heyyy friends!! For this post, I decided to share a poem that I wrote a while back, and actually just submitted to a writing contest at my school. It's called "fractional representation" (styled in all lower-case, because I'm dramatic and write my poems like that). It was partly inspired by Taylor Swift (because to be honest, all of my writing is, haha) but it feels like it represents so much more too. It's about all of the people who feel like they never truly present all sides of themself at once- for the mirrorball girlies, if you will. So much of society is focused on being what a specific group of people want you to be at one time, and it's not often that we get the chance to be who we really are. The bits and pieces you see online are all just a "fractional representation" of what someone truly is. Anyway, I hope you guys enjoy! <3

fractional representation 

there was once a girl

known by everyone and no one. 

she’d smile

but behind her eyes 

there were shades of denial 

echoing the voices

that would always surmise 

the reasons for her choices. 

and even though she knew 

their opinions weren’t true

they still hurt. 

shards of glass

poking 

prodding

slicing

scraping

chipping away at her armor. 

she grew up hearing 

that words can’t hurt

and she believed them, 

at first. 

but now she knows 

that no matter where she goes, 

or what she does, 

or who she loves, 

they’ll follow her forever. 

and while it still hurts 

underneath her scars, 

she’s learned 

that no matter what, 

things are what they are

and sometimes, 

you have to be okay. 

it doesn’t make it hurt any less

and the cuts still sting, 

but she knows she can heal. 

plus, it’s healthy to feel

pain every now and then. 

and each time she’s reminded

that while they think they know

what goes on inside, 

the truth is that her mind

is a mysterious place

filled with sparkles 

and kittens

and rainbows 

and lyrics

and sometimes darker stuff too. 

but her mind is her own

and nobody else will ever know 

the extent to which 

she exists. 

and that’s okay. 

she’s content, for the most part, 

with the role she gets to play. 

so she’ll smile 

and wave 

and put on a brave face. 

for the girl that they see, 

is merely a fractional representation

of all that she can be. 

and maybe someday, 

she’ll share her truth. 

but maybe she won’t, 

and that’s okay too.