Editor's Note: The author is the minor daughter of BN&S contributing columnist Rob Donaldson, an openly gay San Diego, California based intellectual property rights and technology attorney for the Hewlett-Packard computer company.
Not Broken, Only Scarred By Joy Donaldson
I come from a place
not many people know.
It's not a broken home;
I mean,
my parents are
broken up,
split apart,
divorced.
But not
broken.
And
I never thought
that I would say
it worked out
for the better.
You know,
in a church my family
used to attend,
people judged us.
All the time, it was
"terrible mom"
and
"spineless father"
and, even about me,
"troublesome child."
All stereotypes,
because that's all anyone sees.
All this
"she's such a slut" and
“he’s such a fag"
because
when people see something
different
they're threatened,
because
it means
that nothing
is ever
guaranteed,
that nothing
can protect them
from bad things,
things that just happen,
things like divorces.
They didn't see
what really happened,
why it happened,
and even that
it wasn't anyone's fault.
But that's all anyone does,
blame people,
because
when there's no one
to blame,
it means that
accidents happen, and
we can't
always
control everything.
We can't control
life,
or love,
because nothing
is guaranteed.
And maybe
that's why my parents
split up,
because they couldn't
control anything,
couldn't change anything,
even that
my Dad is gay.
And it's okay-
he's still the same person,
still my Dad.
But I don't
quite understand,
why everyone is so quick to judge,
so quick
to act like they know him,
and always
too quick
to assume
they know anything
about us
at all.
But other people,
the other half of this world
that doesn't care
about your
orientation
or your
skin color,
or if you're
rich
or
poor,
they're the ones
that know us.
They know
it doesn't matter
what's around you
or
what you look like,
you're still
you,
and that's what I'm from.
From embracing yourself,
from treating everyone
equally,
from Oscar Wilde
and blue and yellow
equal signs,
from one god
and
one people
and our differences
making us
absolutely
positively
fabulous.
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8 comments:
I think this was a beautiful poem! :D your on the right track kid!
I agree with ^ and I hope others see this message and think wisely before they judge someone for thier differences. I want to congratulate you for being the most brave and strong willed child one could be. I wish you a happy life!
I love this poem. It truly expresses what the author feels - and how she has been treated. You very talented person and their will always be people to back you up - whether it's friends or family. Don't EVER stop writing!
Love,
your best friend
The "minor daughter" is currently 13 years old. I've never seen such a case of exploitation and poor parental judgement. This "poem" could easily effect her negatively in the future, and I personally have a hard time believing that a 13 year old could be, for severe lack of a better word, eloquent.
^ back in my day this was considered expressing feelings. Not "poor parental judgement". I can tell by these insults you must be a poor parent. This type of thing expresses feelings and lets stress go. It took more guts for this little girl to write this than you have had in your life. If you don't respect that, go away. It's that simple. If you have nothing better to do than to hate on children's poems, you need to get a life. My advice: Don't like it? Go away
http://apps.sdsheriff.net/tro/TRODetail.aspx?TROKEY=247
A simple check revealed the true nature of the commentator. You have lost all credibility
^ I don't see why the kid should be blamed because of her father - she wrote it, not him.
The author is my student. She is one of the most eloquent, talented, and all around amazing young writers that I have ever come across. What this teenager can put put on paper puts so many adults to shame. Unfortunately she has had to experience a lot more than most kids her age, BUT fortunately she has the maturity to learn from her experiences. I hope she will be able to teach the world a thing or two! She has definitely taught me!
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