Middle Ground

I stand on middle ground

Drifting from place to place

Not knowing where to make my sound

Not knowing where to show my face

 

I tend to sway towards the adults

Avoiding the younger children

And their juvenile insults

I wish for those times that had once been

 

Now I stand on middle ground

Drifting from place to place

Not knowing where to make my sound

Not knowing where to show my face

 

Now things are different

I am lonely but not alone

They say my perceptions are bent

Now I have to be silent as stone

 

So I stand on middle ground

Drifting from place to place

Not knowing where to make my sound

Not knowing where to show my face

 

I am too young

They say; even though my maturity is old

So my feelings go unsung

My thoughts go untold

 

I stand on middle ground

Drifting from place to place

Not knowing where to make my sound

Not knowing where to show my face

 

They put me with the young children

But I cannot talk with them intelligently

But I try to bear and grin

And they go on without me

 

So I stand on middle ground

Drifting from place to place

Not knowing where to make my sound

Not knowing where to show my face

 

People say I’m pretentious

To speak to adults eye-to-eye

Now I have to be self-conscious

Of what I do and say

 

I stand on middle ground

Drifting from place to place

Not knowing where to make my sound

Not knowing where to show my face

 

Why is it that reality is our perceptions?

Why can’t we all be accepted for who we are?

Why is it that we’re led to pre-conceptions?

Why are we weird of we try to rise above the bar?

 

Don’t make us stand on middle ground

Drifting from place to place

Not knowing where to make our sound

Not knowing where to show our face

 

Allow us to be who we are

Let us be ourselves

Permit us to wish on a star

Don’t put us away on shelves

 

But, then again, you may choose to ignore me

 

For I stand on middle ground

Drifting from place to place

Not knowing where to make my sound

Not knowing where to show my face

Author's Note

Sorry if this is a little long-winded and overly repetitive. I was writing down how I felt at the time.

Okay, so there's a story behind this one. My dad just recently got re-married (long story; may or may not pop up eventually in my writing here on Writer'sCafe) and my step-mom doesn't completely know me yet.
I've grown up talking with adults on an eye-to-eye level, so I feel as if I can talk to adults just like I can talk to people my own age. However, my step-mom has been single-handedly raising four young, immature boys for the past three years, so she's not used to that.
So, the other day I was talking to my dad and I asked him how he felt I was doing in my step-mom's eyes. He started talking to me about how she and all the other adults that are around are not used to people as young as me speaking to them on the level of a peer. So, he told me that, for the moment, I needed to try and be more like a kid and try not to participate in adult conversations as much.
It sounds really bad when I say it, but it was actually a really good discussion. Granted, it was a hard one, but it was still good. One of the things that he told me was that unfortunately, reality was our perceptions, that's how I got stanza twelve.
Anyway, it's really not as bad as it I wrote it out to be. I'm still talking like I usually do, and I think it's going alright. :0) This poem just transpired because of the feelings I had right after that discussion with my dad.

Enjoy! Honest reviews please!

Award(s):

My Favourite ~ "Mesmerise Me" contest.

Reviews

[paparapapa]

Haha. Sorry, I found the story funny. :| I just don't understand why you have to be more like a kid when you just don't think like one. Personally, I'm fond of kids who think like adults, they're just too cute. They remind me of Manny from Modern Family. Haha. Well, anyway, I totally agree with the poem. It's hard being in the middle ground since it leaves you feeling unsure whether you'll fit in once you choose one side. So I think it'll be better if you find people who think like you do. That would be awesome. Oh, the repetition was really helpful in emphasizing the message of the story and I think it flowed really well. More or less, it has everything. Content, good flow, creativity, good rhyme scheme and the like. So great job! :)

[Archia]

I love the emotion in this and how there also is a story behind it (thank you for explaining as well). I enjoyed all the different stanzas and the meaning in this. The one problem I have though is the repetition of the first stanza, it just gets a predictable and I found myself skipping over them. But that's just my opinion, and I liked the way it was repeated at the end.

[Noa]

Hi!

Sometimes repetition only adds to the feeling; in this case, I felt that it did.

A lot of kids find themselves in this situation as everyone is growing up faster (how can they not, in a society like this). Anyway, 4-line stanzas work great for this song-like poem. Your use of end rhyme works as well, and you've found good words to match, avoiding a forced feeling.

Even syllables in lines could add a lot more rhythm to this poem, which I think would suit it well since it already reads quite musically. I'm also missing a lot of punctuation, which could help out the flow as well.

Great job expressing your feelings, thank you for sharing!
-Noa

[Wolfwind]

Having to be somebody other than yourself has got to have been frustrating. I'm a firm believer that people need to be who they are, and their elders need to be the one's to adapt and find a way to make those that may not understand, to be able to understand.
It's good that you can look at the situation objectively and see both his reasoning and your own. That will make life much easier down the road.

A wonderfully crafted poem, that takes us on a journey as well as puts us in touch with some emotions and situations that some may not have dealt with.
Great Ink!

Aaron

[emma]

really, really good. i think that the repetitiveness just makes the poem that much more touching . . . i loved it. completely relatable.

[Wren]

Touching and very relevant to me. I also feel like that... anyway great write:)

[~ Stefanie ~]

I think the repetitiveness of this piece adds to it. It stresses the point you are trying to make and helps the reader understand exactly what you are going through. I liked the flow of this piece and I could feel the emotion behind each and every word. You did a fantastic job with it!

[Mary C]

A very moving poem

[Summer D.]

Wow. I can relate to this. This made me a bit sad... People tend to underestimate my writing abilities and intelligence because of my age. I remember, one time at my old school, I was reading a poem out for " Back To School Night " No one in that whole room, besides my teacher and parents, believed I wrote it. It was rather frustrating. Even in our school-system now. Kids raised an eyebrow at my AP class(es). " You're not really in ----- are you?" I get what your dad is trying to say. :P There's a difference between carrying yourself maturely and injecting yourself in an adult's conversation- It's an adult conversation for a reason. I'm mature enough to handle a lot of things ( I mean A LOT ) but I"m still kicked out of the patio ( at a relative's house ) when everyone starts to get a bit loose-tongued. I just know when to remove myself now. You don't have to participate in an adult's conversation to be considered " mature and wise beyond your ages." It's amazing that you can do that and we share a same sort of resemblance there. :) I get what your dad is saying though!!! There are people YOUR age, who are just as mature ( * coughcough* -points to self smugly-). :P Don't grow up too fast love. I've watched so many people do the same thing. XD BUT POINTS FOR BEING ABLE TO CARRY A CONVERSATION OUTSIDE OF " How's your dad? Siblings? Grades? Pets?" XD.

Creative poem! It was smooth and had a nice rhythmic beat to it.
*100*

[Kim]

very insightful and creative as well as kind of cute really.
I enjoyed your write.