There are boys that cry,
There are girls who have dry eyes.

There are boys that dance or play volleyball,
There are girls that wrestle or play football.

There are boys who drive VW Bugs,
There are girls that drive trucks.

There are boys that bake,
There are girls that shred.

There are boys that like the Notebook,
There are girls that like Transformers.

There are boys that are romantics at heart, looking for love,
There are girls that aren't into flowers or love songs.

There are boys with hair to their knees,
There are girls with shaved heads.

There are boys with diaries and journals full of memories,
There are girls who have no desire to write down all the details.

There are boys with names like Aubry,
There are girls with names like Sam.

There are boys with insecurities about their bodies,
There are girls who don't weigh themselves ever.

There are boys with eating disorders,
There are girls who work out for the ideal 6 pack.

There are boys that prep endlessly for a date,
There are girls who take 5 minutes to get out the door.

There are tidy, neat boys,
There are messy, whirlwind girls.

There are boys in dresses,
There are girls in baggy jeans and a pullover.

There are boys who shop endlessly,
There are girls who can't stand the mall.

There are boys that talk about their emotions,
There are girls who would rather not.

There are boys that look after the kids,
There are girls that work full-time.

There are boys who are nurses,
There are girls who are engineers.

There are boys who cook,
There are girls that change the oil in the car.

There are boys who are complacent and subordinate,
There are girls who are dominant and overpowering.

There are boys with no desire to get it in on the first date,
And there are some girls who wouldn't mind if they do.


And those are all okay. Gender stereotyping only limits what you can and can't do. Let the boys cry and write poetry and eat chocolate when they're sad and talk about their feelings. Let the girls be aggressive and wrestle their buddies and play ball and drive sports cars. Let people do as they please. You're born as you a are, you can't decide what gender you are. You can decide what you do with your gender though, or rather what it won't keep you from doing. Your gender is only an aspect of who you are, don't let it dictate your actions to appease a society that has deemed what is and is not okay for you to do simply because you're either a guy or girl.

There are boys and girls that can grow up to be what they please, do as they wish and speak as they will. Don't be the one to tell them otherwise.

As a little girl, my mother and father would drive around while smoking in the car, with the window rolled down, as I would roll up the ends of my sleeves clenching them towards my nose to be rid of the smell I have never liked.

I believed that when my parents would smoke around me, I was a smoker too. I had had the scent of a smoker too. But when I was with you, it was different.

That night, not caring how much I hated those sticks of paper as a child, I would watch you put it in your mouth and on your lips, inhaling it until you couldn't any further.  I silently sat in the backseat admiring how you would slowly inhale and exhale the toxic fumes it gave off.

That night, I went home.
I walked in through my back door.
I slid my shoes off and tiptoed toward my bedroom.
I passed my parents' room, witnessing them sound asleep next to each other, peacefully.
I took off my old grey sweatshirt and inhaled slowly, the smell of your secondhand smoke, and smiled.
Because it was yours.

I hated those sticks of paper full of toxic fumes.
I hated the smell of those sticks of paper full of toxic fumes.
Now, myself, I am one of those sticks of paper full of toxic fumes.
We both have touched your pink, chapped lips, got used, and are now thrown away.

We honestly fit right,
I am forever yours,
You make me feel beautiful and alive,
Even though you're not mine to kiss.

Your body is perfect for mine,
But we'll never lay side by side,
I'll never feel your skin against me,
I'll never hold you tight at night at 9.

You'll never touch my face,
Or call me your princess,
You'll never intoxicate me with wine,
You'll never buy me expensive roses.

I'll never get the chance to fill your heart with joy,
Because you're not right for me but my heart thinks so.

my collarbones don't show
my thighs don't have a gap
but i am trying so hard
to be proud of what i've got
even though i want to skip
every meal i put in my mouth
i am trying so **** hard
to love my body for what it is
it's a constant struggle
this disorder vs. me
still i am willing
to seek recovery
and be the winner
of this harsh battle
really am trying
to change my ways
but my thoughts
poison my mind
still, i am trying
to conquer
and win
against
this disorder
which makes me
do anything to be thin
society is a bad kind
of role model for us
it teaches girls that
size zero is better
than curves

Thump.
Thump.
Thump.
A beating so timed and rhythmic that it's scary.
What the heart wants, the heart gets.
You can't fool it.
Thump.
Thump.
Thump.
Never stopping.
A comfort, but also a threat.
It'll keep you alive, but consume and want as long as it still beats.
Thump.
Thump.
Thump.
Feed it your hate, and it will wither.
Water it with lies, and it will blacken.
Sow negativity, and almost surely it will show through in your actions.
Thump.
Thump.
Thump.
But wait, there's hope.
Thump.
Thump.
Thump.
Feed your passions and love affairs to the heart and it is content as long as you are.
Feed it your dreams, and it will set your path.
Feed it positivity, and you will see the effects all around you.
Thump.
Thump.
Thump.
Are you aware of the life coursing through you?
Can you feel the energy you feed it influencing you?
I hope so.
Thump.
Thump.
Thump.

           m.h.

The crushing weight inside of my chest
Makes thoughts of you harder to digest
Burning tears fill fill my eyes and steals my breath
Filling me with a pain 10 fold worse than death
The tears that fill my eyes refuse to fall
Denying me the releasing relief that comes only after a waterfall
Trapped in a lake of unreleased tears and untold pain
The screaming in my head, my own voice as if I've gone insane
I fear that in this lake of tears I may drown
And that the last sounds I'll ever hear is the deafening silence of nobody else around
Oxygen free to all others to me is refused
Fighting for every breath leaves my soul feeling bruised and abused
Treading water ever rising inside my own personal hell
Silence so loud it echoes with the pain that it has come to foretell
And only you hold the key to my release
"I forgive you" is all I need to achieve a little inner peace

I would rather struggle with you than be fine when you're not.
You'll never be alone in this, I'll be right here, keeping you alive.

I love you, sister dearest. You are precious.

My heart is broken without your half.
We'll get through this. Siblings unite.

My sister, my reason for trying,
Trying to keep myself coping.

We grew up together,
And we can get better...

Together.

Sisters have a bond life cannot break.
Nothing can break what we have.

We shared happy moments together.
So if we need to, we'll also suffer.

Your pain is mine.
My pain is yours.
Sisters keep each other sane.
Our personal demons,
They will not break,
Our sisterly bond.