Jessica Martinez 

When I was young, 

I would often look for recognition, 

for someone to notice me,

love me, 

tell me they’re proud of me, 

Hug me,

I moved a lot,

So I didn’t bother making friends,

I learned to like loneliness, 

The Silence, 

The Voices, 

The different kinds of footsteps,

Eventually,

I grew to hate things,

Hated seeing people smile,

Laughing, 

Happy,

I often questioned, 

Why can’t that be me?

Is it my fault? 

I hated everyone,

But most of all,

I hated myself, 

For making myself like this.

Author's Commentary

Whenever I was writing this poem, I thought of the experience I had as a kid. I often looked for something or someone to notice me. Not because I needed attention but because I just wanted someone near me. My mom would always be busy, so I often just focused on little details in people, places, and things. At first I didn’t know what to write or how to start. I ended up writing random things that sounded good in my head and then ended up removing and replacing some words. 

Feedback

This was a tremendous poem, the raw emotion is was struck me as astounding. This poem resonates to those people with the same feeling, and I like how it gives off the sense of longing for affection.

--Harvey Rocha