Savannah's Poem: Beauty is Pain


Beauty is Pain
I always wanted to be beautiful,
Like the girls in the magazine,
Or on my dance team,
Or at my family reunions,
Or in my class.

But I never believed I was

It’s funny how compliments
Go right in one ear and out the other,
But insults
stay,
Beating at your soul and heart,
Making you question everything that you are.

Your words hurt me,
You may not remember but I never forget,
All the flaws you pointed out,
Were insecurities I had.

So I tried to fix what was wrong with me,
My face burned as I popped blackheads,
And my legs bled when I cut myself while shaving,
My body screamed out in pain and I just listened,
But it was worth it because

Beauty is pain

Those are the three words we tell ourselves everyday,
As if it can make the pain hurt any less,
But my stomach still hurts when I starve myself,
And my waist hurts when I try to pull jeans that are too tight on.

Because I have an image I’m trying to follow,
A blueprint that society has made for me,
And it tells me that I’m not as beautiful with glasses,
And that red stretch marks all over my thighs don’t look right.

And I have come to accept it,
That I’m not beautiful without putting my mask on,
Without showing the world what they want me to look like,
Let the outer beauty show during the day,
Cry yourself to sleep in the night because

Beauty is pain

So this is what I do,
What girls do,
Make it hurt,
Then flirt,
And it works,
Until it doesn’t.

I try to be skinny everyday like the other girls I see,
But trying to be skinny is what gives girls anorexia and bulimia,
But the world wants us to be pretty at any costs,
Even starving themselves.

But truth is, I’m scared,
Being overweight runs in my family,
It spreads like disease,
And I don’t want to be infected like
Grandma,
Grandpa,
Dad,
Aunt Dorene,
Uncle Kevin,
Kylene.

I don’t think I’ll be beautiful if I’m overweight,
And I refuse to get to that point,
But I think I’m already getting there,
I’m heavier than other girls,
At school,
At dance,
And sometimes I just want to scream.

Not because I’m angry,
Not even because I’m sad,
Because I’m about to explode,
And I’m afraid

That the pain is not enough

I’m no Tyra Banks,
Gigi Hadid,
Heidi Klum,
Just me and my pain.

But someday the pain will be over,
And we will all fade away,
Our physical beauty will blow away like dust,
But our inner beauty will shine,
In the memories of those who know us.

But I know I won’t stop,
It takes more than words on a piece of paper to change how I live my life,
I just thought it would help,
Maybe not me,
But maybe my sisters,
My cousins,
My daughters.

So I’m sorry future generations of girls,     
That I couldn’t change the world,
I just followed along with everyone else,
Girls are just so smart,
But I hope girls will be smart enough to know


That true beauty isn’t painful

Comments

  1. I like how you express yourslef, and what you think about yourself, as well as what it is like for girls today, and how people go to the extreme. However you seem a little too happy compared to the more sad tone of the poem when you presented it

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  2. Savannah, this poem is amazing! I loved how you conveyed a message that you don't have to be as beautiful as the models you see on magazines to look good and make friends and that you don't need to cover up your true self to enjoy a happy life. Additionally, I loved how you multimodal component was incorporated into your poem, especially with the black and white filter. Overall, this poem is excellent!

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  3. WOW that was so, so, so good. You presented that so well and the way you used such amazing wording and emotional connection made this poem epic. This is truly an amazing poem, you should be very proud, I really want to hear more of your poetry, well done Savannah!!!

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  4. Great inspirational poem for girls around the world! You are correct, beauty comes in different shapes, colors, and forms. I can not relate to this because I try to eat much to grow because people say I am too small. Thank you for sharing your story, great poem!

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  5. This poem was really good because you took something that was bottle up and let out in one poem and then you had the video to elaborate on everything you were saying.

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  6. I liked you poem and what it said. It showed how there are social problems in the world that affect you everyday and hurt you both physically and emotionally. It also has a great message about how girls should think that they are beautiful and not think about how others think.

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  7. That was like a super deep poem that had tons of thought in it and I could really tell yo took a lot of time on making it. Even though I could not compare because I am a boy, I can say it was really good, and it seemed like you took lots of time to make what you made as good as it was. Great Job Savannah!

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  8. Pith, I picked a really bad day to not know how to phrase praise well.

    Great poem! I feel like this really represents how it feels for girls to try to be in this society. I can obviously not presume that I know how this feels, but I feel like this poem helped me see that. Amazing poem!

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  9. This poem was super deep and super relate able for me and every single girl in this classroom. The video was phenomenal and it went along with your poem super well! It was extremely brave of you to tell us your personal and inside thoughts and I know for a fact that you are one of the most beautiful girls I know. I have no more words because I. Think. This. Poem. Was. Amazing. Great job!
    -Lucy

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  10. This was a extremly powerful poem and was extremly deep and the video only added even more power to it. You really told a story that showed a whole new side to you that none of us knew about.

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  11. This was AMAZING! It is truly something that a lot of people could relate to in this day and age. However, I love the moral of your poem and that we do not need to follow society's rules. I loved your multi modal component, it connected me to the video so much more, and your presentation was amazing! Wow Savannah, I am truly moved by this performance, amazing job!

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  12. Excellent poem! I like the way you expressed yourself in the poem on how things should be and how you did them. I can tell this poem took a long time, and you worked very hard on it. Great work!

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  13. Savannah, this poem was amazing! I was touched by your poem and how brave you were. You spoke the truth, which is hard for a lot of people. The way you presented your poem was very powerful. You convinced the audience on what you poem was about and how you felt. I also liked how this is a poem that relates to a lot of girls. This poem was amazing! You are a brave girl and stay stong! Amazing poem Savannah!

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  14. I have no words. OMGosh! This poem blew me away. I can really relate to it and the way you presented it was just...AMAZING! You are such a talented writer and you really put yourself out there, but you taught me something so important. You video really completed this piece and I think that it is a genius idea. I can really relate to this poem and WOW this is just such a beautiful and I want to record it and have it as my alarm clock. I cried it was so good. This poem is literally my life saver. Thank you so much!

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  15. I see your poem is like reinas and you show how you think that beauty is pain. you also show what a woman goes through and how they deal with it. the pain that you express is alot and to handle and that many people go through so much. Your video was put together well and it didnt draw too much attention away from the poem. The video elaborates on what you said. Ihe images that you express in the poem are gruesome but are very true. I cannot connect to this but the poem was still great.

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  16. Savannah, that was a beautiful poem. I can't even express how I feel about this poem without crying. This is an amazing message for every girl out there. To see someone so afraid of what others may think that they want to hurt themselves or do whatever they can to make others accept them. I thought your multi-modal component was amazing. Every girl has gone through that and it was really brave of you to go up there and talk about it because a lot of girls would not be confident enough to talk about that. Great great great job!!

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  17. your poem was very deep and it showed how you are very insecure to my point of view to care alot about other peoples opinions.

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    Replies
    1. also good job for talking about something so personal.

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  18. i really liked how your poem talked about real things but what is anoreiixa and boliemiea that is what was confusing to me but i really liked your poem

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  19. Your poem was Amazing. You put a lot of effort into what you were writing about and your poem was filled with passion. I can tell that you truly believed in the work that you were presenting. I can relate to what you were writing about and I understand the conflict that you face everyday between your physical appearence and your morals as a person. I never really saw you as somebody with insecurities but now that you shared your poem I feel like you shared a new part of yourself with that class. Great job!

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  20. wow that was amazing savannah im glad you stared to tell people these things

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  21. This poem is honestly really sad and shows for society treats girls and it honestly is really true and really hit home. I really how how you repeated that beauty is pain and its just a really truthful poem about things wrong with society, nice job gurl.

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  22. this poem was so good and it showed how you needed to make yourself "more beautiful" and how you have been percieved by other people and that you want more from future generations but overall this is a great poem.

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  23. Savannah, this is a really powerful poem and it almost made me tear up. Your video helped convey the amazing message in your poem and I can tell you put a lot of effort and thought into your poem. I can relate to your poem and I'm sure that it touched and helped a lot of girls in this class. Great Job!

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  24. Savannah, i am speechless after hearing your poem and seeing your video. You are so brave, you stood up there confidently and recited your poem as you pointed out what people say about you. I just wanted to say that you are very beautiful just the way you are right now. Every single person on this planet can connect to your poem. I have also been told things about my physical appearance and, like you, I have experienced physical pain to "reach up to expectation". The way you delivered everything was perfect! Extraordinary job!

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