Forever Marked
by Azima Araoye, Westwood Senior High School
Ms. Araoye’s Senior English teacher, Janine Horrocks, wrote “A student of mine wrote a powerful poem about a 16 year-old Black teen struggling to fit in/belong within the school but also within her friend group. Azima told me about her move from Alberta and her poem addresses the struggles of being a minority while finding and celebrating her own identity. It offered insight and perspective to my students when she delivered the poem in class.”
Walking through the hallways of this teenage world,
filled with the laughter and smiles of youth,
that echo off the walls.
She w a l k s alone.
Turning heads
with her skin,
a tattoo she had no choice about.
Noticed like a solitary note in a symphony of pale faces
in a school where shadows dance colorblind.
Her true laughter, a beat played by the Sakara Drum.
her rhythmic sound that shines through the pop chorus.
Yet, her beats fall upon ears that only hear
the monochrome tones of their own reflection.
Newly sweet sixteen but already bearing the consequences
of a world that colors her existence;
living a life so different from her friends.
The 4 sisters whose bond unbreakable
with tales untold.
Her life experiences shared,
needing to be told
yet they are painted on a canvas with shades unseen
by those who think they know her.
Poor Number 5, just scared and alone.
The waves of ignorance crash,
trying to capsize it
and she, its whole crew;
Captain, Deckhand, and First Mate,
just trying to keep it afloat.
But some days the waves crash harder,
and her voice tells her a different song.
“I wish I was the same,
blending in unnoticed, unseen.”
In the hallowed halls of learning
where minds should be open,
she turns the pages of her own story,
written in ink that bleeds with history;
blood said to never drop again.
She read to be strong,
resilient, to embrace her differences.
But why?
At the young age of 16 told to be comfortable to stand apart.
Let her join.
Let her for once be a part.
Let her be fragile.
For once, be treated with the kindness, respect and care
as though she was an infant,
protected from the struggles she’d face in the years to come.
Listen to her pleas,
and treat her as though she would break.
Let her crumble to pieces,
because strong people break too.
26 Responses
Go Princess!!!
Proud of you and your amazing write up penned in the most truthful way.
Yes,use your voice,use your words.
Thank you for this expression.
Cheering you on!!!
My dear Azima,
I read your poem multiple times, and all I can say are Waoh!, Waawuu!, and Waoh! once again.
This poetic piece is amazing and neatly crafted with delicate yet loud words. Words that are mostly unspoken by our youngsters, of their struggle to be seen, to be heard, to be recognized for who they are, and to fit in.
Please don’t wait to be seen – STAND TALL;
Please don’t wait to be heard – STAY TRUE TO YOUR CREDIBLE VOICE;
Please don’t wait to be recognized – STAY CELEBRATORY OF YOUR UNIQUE BEAUTY;
Please don’t wait to fit it – STAND OUT.
…… and, at some point, they will be forced to catch up.
Thank You for writing and sharing this beautiful piece with us. The sky is the beginning for you.
I salute you with admiration.
sincerely,
Shakira Bada, Feb 2024
This poem was beautifully written! The great Maya Angelou would be so proud of you! Bravo 👏🏾
Nicely written..and eloquently delivered..I encourage you to use this as a fuel to break all boundaries… While you may stand out, it also reflects being Outstanding. Shine on
Congratulations my darling granddaughter,am so proud of you.Am happy for the strength you used to face challenges with confidence, along with wisdom to choose your experience carefully.my baby we are proud of our color.Sky is the limit.Am proud of you for everything you have done and everything you are about to achieve
I am grateful to have come across this piece of art.
Congratulations to Azima, you’re an incredible writer. I hope you continue.
Sadly, this is the reality a lot of people, our color, is facing every single day. We all have to find a healthy way to deal with it. And yours is commendable and inspiring.
Thank you for speaking your truth young lady!
Well done Azima! You expressed the struggles of a lot of people, even adults. So proud of your work, it’s truly amazing to read.
This is a well crafted poem that chronicles the struggles one face for being different! Thank you for speaking up!
Reality… well captured in words. I love love love this!
Onwards and Upwards Azima.
I’m in awe of the way you’ve captured a reality so common that if feels so unique, yet so general. Thank you for pulling these words together and sharing it with us.
I hope your ink never runs dry, and that you find comfort/growth in the next pieces to come. Your art is brewing so well, Azima. I’m honored to have read something from a writer like you, and I can only hope that you’re able to find all the beauty you seek through your words – that the world enjoys that comfort through you too 🧡
I wish you nothing but the best; this was simply phenomenal!
Beautiful piece!
Rich, educating, and impressive!
Heartiest congratulations to Azima on crafting the most exceptional poem in school. Cheers to your poetic brilliance and I wish you many more accolades in the future.
This is simply amazing, a great work of art, beautifully and artistically crafted with the message well communicated. I am delighted that despite the writer’s seeming struggles and vulnerability, her mind is never imprisoned. Her expression of the realities of racial issues that frontally confront a typical immigrant family will bring succor and comfort to a whole generation who are going through similar experiences. I encourage the writer to keep writing more poems. I will like to see a book that will collate this and other beautiful pieces in the nearest future. I will like one that will focus on the beauty and the blessings of being black and comely…and the one that will talk about FREEDOM, setting your mind free from the challenges of living daily with the inevitable racial diversity in the developed world. Well done Azima, a great daughter of Africa, for this beautiful poem.
Bravo Azima!! You captured the struggle diverse people face on a daily basis . Thank you for being a voice to the voiceless.
A captivating poem that is well structured. The use of words such as “Sakara drum and First mate”makes it African and authentic.
I could have sworn my daughter wrote this because it succinctly speaks the silent yet seemingly troubled minds of every colored individual yearning for acceptance.
I can’t promise it will get better, but it gets easier to deal with.
Awesome piece Azima❤️
This is beautifully written. The depth of the expression that Azima has penciled down still shows the struggles of us people of color. Great Job Azima
Wow!!, this is a Stellar Poem you put together, Azima👍
This is a brilliant and beautiful poem. The poem has said enough of what we are going through let alone our kids at school.
Just because we are black, do we have to go through some psychological trauma for us to fit into society?
The Sky is the beginning for you, Azimah!!!
Thank you for being the voice of the voiceless!!!
Great job girl! Let’s take this to the next level.
Beautifully expressed by Azima, everything my teenage girl experienced in a school of over 65% of foreign nationalities, the fact that there were more foreigners didn’t change anything, her color was her albatross. My consistent cheering up kept her in the right frame of mind until a few girls of color joined her class, it was a big relief for her and for me.
This poem should be promoted widely by all means so that every girl in same boat know they are not alone and for the conscious and unconcious perpetrators to know better.
I recommend this for publishing in an EDI (DEI) platform!
Beautiful poem and I applaud the writers vulnerability and insight with expressing the realities of being a racialized youth.
Good on you for speaking up! Such a well written poem with an amazing message. Well done.
This is a great poem, which brings to light the many struggles of a girl child of a minority immigrant family.
Great thrust.
Well done Azima!!!, your bravery in sharing your struggles is truly inspiring. Your voice matters, and your words have the power to touch and inspire others.
We’re proud of you “GIRL ❤️”
This is amazing!!! Bravo!!!