A Life in Spite of It All

They tell you that you’re beautiful

They look you in the eyes, and tell you exactly what you want to hear

but,

It’s the words they don’t say that you hear louder

The words they actually mean

The deafening silent judgement

These are the words you stitch together, the words you drape around yourself, the words you choose to wear

because these are the words you let define you.

They tell you that you’re brave,

when you know you’re everything but

They tell you that you’re strong,

yet you can feel yourself breaking

You hopelessly try to fit the mold created for you

tirelessly strive to materialize the idea of, you

but,

It is impossible

it is not you,

you fail.

You say you hate them,

society

They dictate your life

A life at times you’ve felt is not worth living

They did this to you…

What you don’t realize,

You are one of them

Your hatred for society,

The silent judgement or sideways glances you don’t intend to deliver

are received and kept, stored away in the same place you hold onto the cruel remarks and outlandish rumors,

only fueling the fire.

Unintentionally you have become “what is wrong with society”

We all are.

Nobody is exempt from the title of societal,

We live in a world of predetermined expectations

Standardized by those who lived in a time that is not ours

Women shouldn’t do this.

Men should do that.

Each category, each subcategory you belong to race, religion, gender, age

all come with set expectations

failing to meet said exceptions results in inevitable judgement.

Yes, people can be cruel,

this too is inevitable.

but look past it

look past yourself

and see the good

see it in everyone and everything around you,

see it within yourself

see it plain and simply

choose to be happy,

Because it is a choice and your own personal right to be happy.

This world is an amazingly terrifying place

Yet here we are in spite of it all.