Great men have been among us; hands that penn’d
  And tongues that utter’d wisdom—better none:
  The later Sidney, Marvel, Harrington,
Young Vane, and others who call’d Milton friend.
These moralists could act and comprehend:
  They knew how genuine glory was put on;
  Taught us how rightfully a nation shone
In splendour: what strength was, that would not bend
But in magnanimous meekness. France, ’tis strange,
  Hath brought forth no such souls as we had then.
Perpetual emptiness! unceasing change!
  No single volume paramount, no code,
  No master spirit, no determined road;
  But equally a want of books and men!

Way back when I was younger
I was mistaken as a dude
They asked all sorts of questions
That slowly grew more rude

"Why don't you wear makeup?
Or dress in something nice?"
"If you ever want to get a guy
Why won't you just take our advice?"

When I began in high school
I had just begun to change
I had bought myself some cheap makeup
And clothes that just felt strange

Still, it wasn't enough though
The insults continued to come
"Ugly. Lazy. Undesirable"
It all began to make me glum

By the beginning of junior year
I had fully given in
Dresses replaced all of my jeans
And makeup covered all my skin

It was then, the insults changed
And people began to glare
Said I "cared too much about my looks"
And my "head must be full of air"

I still always got straight A's
The way I talked was still the same
But though I knew that they were wrong
Their comments made me feel lame

When senior year had rolled around
I was lonely as could be
People "liked" what I'd become
But I felt no one liked me for me

I'd never been on a single date
Because all the guys were crude
So it was only a small amount of time
Before I was labeled as a "*****"

When I finally started college
I expected something more
But people took one look at me
And labeled me a *****

I had not been sleeping around
I still hadn't even been on a date
Everyone just made assumptions
And looked at me with hate

The part that was most ironic
Was that after all these years
Of changing to be whatever they said
I was still hated by all my peers

I didn't want to dress like this
I didn't want to just conform
But there is only so much a person can take
Before they need to fit the "norm"

Society is what destroyed me
They are the reason I am this way
I changed to be what people wanted
Now I understand: I'll never see that day

I don't know who I am now
Though everyone else thinks that they do
Now please just take one piece of advice
It's so important to just stay you

You are perfect just as you are
So continue to stay strong
Remember no matter what they tell you
What society says is **wrong

If I had a mom
I will, on this day, write her a poem
But she is been long gone
Suffice it to say, in the stock of moms
She is certainly the best of them all.

My first song
And my first love
My first breath
And my first step

When the world disappeared
She was the one that was there
When everyone was gone
She was the one that said "no need to be alone"

If the world were a gift store
A mother is the best thing in stock
The gift of a mother
Is like being given the whole of Hawaii in a gift wrapper.

Though my mom is gone
This is my most happy poem
So if you still have a mom
Do your most to show her love
The value of what you have is best known when it is gone.

My late mom and the moms in the world
HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY with much love.

this city wraps me in cellophane,
i can never breathe right.
its harsh winds and harsh words beat me.
i wake up to the sounds of grinding metal.
i can't escape, as our unrequited love will never end.
the city that hates me for loving it.
the city i hate to love.
this city will always be black and white,
not to be softened by the innocence of color.
it must remain strong.
i must remain strong.
i must clock in and clock out.
enslaved in a life i never wanted to live.
in a city i never imagined i'd love.
trapped in a cellophane life,
in a cellophane city.