REAL LIFE

The Real Me

By Alisha, age 22, Massachusetts

In elementary school, before all this name calling and being picked on really started to happen, I met this one little boy named Chris who was a friend from that very first moment. We instantly became friends, and now with him by my side everything seemed to be going great. It didn't take long for Chris and I to grow close to one another. By middle school, we were extremely close and we did almost everything together. As middle school approached and as we transitioned from elementary school, Chris and I, as well as my other friends, stayed close and were there for each other.

Through middle school, I felt like I was living in a bubble and not knowing how to escape it all. Through this time, I was picked on, laughed at, and called names, like ET, by almost everyone. Kids sitting behind me in history class would blatantly break a pencil and stick in it my hair. These times really made me hate school and want to get out before anything more serious happened. Only a select few made me feel comfortable and safe there. This one group of friends helped me let my guard down and got me through those tough middle school years. If it wasn't for Chris being right there with me, things would have been a lot tougher than they were.

By the end of middle school Chris and I were best friends and knew that no matter what happened or where we were going in life, we would always have each other. Even when middle school came to an end, the name calling, being laughed at, and picked on continued. By the time freshman year of high school rolled around, Chris transferred and was no longer with me at the same school. The whole name calling, being laughed at, etc., continued, and I'd had enough, making me decide not to return the following year. The next year, as a high school sophomore, I transferred schools and everything stopped and seemed to be falling into place for me.

I'd felt trapped in a place I couldn't get out of. When I arrived at the new high school, with new people, everything changed, and I was more confident in myself, and I was making new friends. As the year went on and I wasn't being picked on anymore, everything was looking up and nothing seemed to stand in my way. I was doing better in all my classes and I was making new friends. Three years later, I graduated high school and went off to college. I found who I was and wasn't scared anymore.

As years went by, I started to write poetry and get lost in it. Not too long ago I wrote a poem called "The Real Me." This poem shows who I have become over the years.

The Real Me

I've been scared
To show the world
Who I really am
But now it's time
To stop hiding
And show the world
The real me

My friends might tell you differently
But personally
This is who I am

I am who I am
That fun-lovin' but shy
Quiet but talkative
Crazy and loud
Type of girl

I've grown into a person
Both my friends and family
Can be proud of
I have grown into a young adult
A young adult that is
Mature and loveable

I have matured over the years
But not on my own
I've had a little help from my friends
And a little help from my family
This is who I am
This is the real me

I'm gonna let my candle shine
And use it to light my way
Through life's detours and challenges
This is the real me

I've found my true self
I am at that point in my life
That point where I've always wanted to be

I am who I am
"There's no need to hold it in"
I'm not gonna hide who I am anymore
Or who I want to be

Right here,
Right now
Is where I want to be
This is the real me

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