Our World
May 30, 2023 • By Olivia Ferer
DescriptionA poem about the worsening conditions of the world.
MessageBe the change you want to see in the world.
ImageWRTN
I am thirteen years old.Thirteen.Yet I have seen more cruelty in the world than you could imagine.I’m sure others have seen worse. Why is that?Why is the world like this?
I was writing a Civics paper on racism.We had to pick a topic and find 5 examples from Cape Cod. I found six. Why did I find six?At least six racist and vulgar incidents have happened within the past two years on Cape Cod.I found six within twenty minutes of looking.Why is the world like this?
I walk around school every day and hear words I wish did not exist, Words that have been normalized even when they shouldn’t be.Teens walk around calling each other these abhorrent names.People stand around and tolerate every single thing that comes out of others’ mouths.I pretend not to hear, hiding behind my mask in fear of being an outcast.Why is the world like this?
People say everyone is unique and amazing. I’m sure you’ve been told that. If being unique is a good thing, why is it something we hear in rumors?Terrible lies and embarrassing truths being spread in secret.We put people down to be at the top.Why is the world like this?
The GSA club at my school put information on the school news. As I watch it each morning, I can’t help but hear remarks.They sink into my mind and try to control me.Even though they are just whispers in the hallway, They sound like screams and feel like smothering smoke.Why is the world like this?
Why is the world like this?Our world.Our society.Our home. The place we wake up in each day. Why is this the life we live, the world we inhabit... like this?
I was writing a Civics paper on racism.We had to pick a topic and find 5 examples from Cape Cod. I found six. Why did I find six?At least six racist and vulgar incidents have happened within the past two years on Cape Cod.I found six within twenty minutes of looking.Why is the world like this?
I walk around school every day and hear words I wish did not exist, Words that have been normalized even when they shouldn’t be.Teens walk around calling each other these abhorrent names.People stand around and tolerate every single thing that comes out of others’ mouths.I pretend not to hear, hiding behind my mask in fear of being an outcast.Why is the world like this?
People say everyone is unique and amazing. I’m sure you’ve been told that. If being unique is a good thing, why is it something we hear in rumors?Terrible lies and embarrassing truths being spread in secret.We put people down to be at the top.Why is the world like this?
The GSA club at my school put information on the school news. As I watch it each morning, I can’t help but hear remarks.They sink into my mind and try to control me.Even though they are just whispers in the hallway, They sound like screams and feel like smothering smoke.Why is the world like this?
Why is the world like this?Our world.Our society.Our home. The place we wake up in each day. Why is this the life we live, the world we inhabit... like this?
