Hearts, Heads and Bodies

I semi-recently wrote this poem for English class called "Hearts, Heads, and Bodies." We were told that to write a poem entailing our identity within a group of our choice. After long moments of staring blankly at a sheet of paper/borderline banging my head on the desk, I picked up an idea amongst the hurricane of my jumbled thoughts. The group that every person in my class fit into; the species that is teenagers. Suddenly inspired I translated my jumbled thoughts onto paper and came up with 54 lines that somehow made sense in the end.

Hearts, heads, and bodies

with unspoken expectations.

Though always in a riddle, 

known only to one exception.

Hearts feeling.

Heads thinking.

Bodies acting.

Hearts, heads, and bodies

forming individual thoughts and notions

Growing faster than the person

and romanticizing opposites.

 The sheep, the wolf,

forgiveness and revenge.

We live as both predators and prey.

Hearts, heads, and bodies

still young

but with so much potential

and now outside expectations.

Be better.

We continuously chase a phantom.

Always be greater.

I want you!

Join the faceless army.

Here's a mask,

a barcode,

remember to conform.

Hearts, heads, and bodies

under attack by society.

Don't speak.

Act with utmost propriety.

Stolen,

labeled,

and fallen.

Losing one's self repeatedly

in attempt to find one's self completely.

We follow orders.

Marching across an already sinking field

We mimic others.

As our heartbeats drum

they communicate their own language

and we collide

as we battle our past selves.

As people

we are but a compilation of

hearts, heads, and bodies;

Maybe also a soul

though we haven't been introduced yet

So for the moment

never mind the rest.

We are made up of those

however part of a larger whole.

We are single stars

part of constellations

that make up the night sky.

Stay gold,

Anne