Stand Proud as You Can See, I\'ve

¶ … stand proud as you can see, I've survived and thrived and lived

Sometimes I have erred but other times I did succeed

I've reached a level in my life where there is less want and need

There are good memories behind me and many sad ones too

Things that I've regretted and moments I stood tall

A life is made of both, harshest times and all

Everyone I think of had issues just like mine

Maybe different circumstances and others they've done wrong

Harming people harming self and forgetting all along

If I be you then maybe I can understand my self

Or perhaps there is no understanding only something else.

I see others walking all around their phone clenched in their hand

No one's talking to each other and I cannot understand

Inhumanity is normal; a robot; a machine

My nightmares every single night; what is the dream I dream?

Response:

When reading the poems, the line from "A Lower East Side Poem" which is from the end spoke to me. Despite all the bad things that happened to him, he is still proud of himself and happy. He has overcome drugs and lives in a neighborhood where narcotics and hookers are the norm. They made me think of my own life and what I have had to overcome. Then, this made me think about how other people have also suffered in their lives and this is universal. Everyone has had positive and negative memories which connect all people in a way. When I was unsure of what to say, I looked at "Harriet" by Lucille Clifton. She talks about trying to connect with other people. Then I realized that nowadays, it is much harder for people to connect because there is so little direct communication. Instead people are constantly texting or emailing or instant messaging. If all people are the same in that they have mental issues and emotional baggage, then it seems that it would be better if we tried to overcome this by communicating with one another. Unfortunately technologies make this far more difficult and so we all wind up suffering all alone.