Adult Poem
Echoes of Perception
By: Ashley Dodgens
I’m in a bathroom stall,
When I hear a familiar call.
A girl in front of a mirror,
The flaws she sees much clearer.
“My hair, my teeth, my skin”,
Cries louder than a violin.
The disapproval becomes contagious,
A tale written from her pages.
Now her friends self-deprecate,
Although they are only ten through eight.
But I’m three times their age
And I know what’s in that cage.
The one you open up,
When you feel you’re not enough.
When the opinions of others matter,
Their voices become your inner chatter.
What would I give to take,
Lies that attack them like a snake.
What’s the antidote for such poison,
When you let all the noise in?
It’s an older woman’s voice,
Making a single choice
To tell you what she never heard
When the same thoughts in her occurred.
It’s simple and it’s strong.
It’s more beautiful than a song,
When we voice to others what they cannot see.
And someday when they’re wiser,
they’ll become the advisor,
guiding others toward self-love and harmony.
