The essence of Humanity

The state of being human or kind to others

The ability to care for your mother, father, and brothers

The capacity to be nice to your sister, the other mister, or many another

 

 

At a point in time, somewhere along the line

Was a chapter when we were doing just fine

A time when hate and anger wasn’t a virtue

But a second when you felt that no harm was coming to you

 

A time when terrorists didn’t terrorize

When religions and beliefs were not a reason to kill

A time when people didn’t criticize

or overlook the homeless suffering from toxic pills

 

When people were able to sleep comfortably

In a house that was rightly theirs

When people didn’t depend on guns, cash or credit cards

but support each other regardless of world affairs

 

Prepare and listen to this story of strife

An individual who attempts to survive the ways of life

A story about a young girl

Who had to scrape at the wall using a putty knife

 

For most, the world may have appeared perfect and equal

but that status has yet to be recovered and achieved

When society has proved to remain unequal

That is all one will be able to perceive

 

Starting in the beginning of her freshman year

A girl named Melinda is trying to be clear

At an unapproved graduation party, after a couple beers

After a certain event grew a major fear.

 

With an unwelcomed substance slipping down her leg and physically adhered

Along with the confusion of the body and mind, a path to the telephone was cleared

She crept to handset and attempted to call for an emergency

Which resulted in the disengagement of the festivity

 

After all is said and done, everyone at the first day of

school

looked down at her as if she conducted misrule

Even her ex-best friend looked at her and said

“I hate you, get out of here, I wish you were dead”

 

After that, her last friend left the scene

A carbine shot their friendship to smithereens

“Melinda, I’m sorry, but I think you're weird

I wish you would just disappear”

 

These people beat and battered her with words

Each hurt more than the names she got called before

regardless of everyone not knowing the truth, she got called them all

along with being pulled into the abyss of the non-existent during roll call

 

Everyday, Melinda returns home

She goes to her room, her makeshift comfort zone

Trash on the floor, and a messed up wallpaper

Disgusting to most, but the environment saved her

 

In it a mirror that shows her reflection

She stares for a second, a temporary therapy session

She grabs it and pushes, breaking the obsession

And hides it in the closet fearful of her true complexion

 

In Melinda’s art class is a teacher: Mr. Freeman

A mentor; psychiatrist; ventilator; nihilist

A man of vision, a mind with wingspan

Experimenting with philosophy like a real life chemist

 

After pulling a slip out reading the word “Tree”

A project; designed to signify one's identity

attempted to change fate but could not foresee

That once chosen, that is your destiny

 

Even in spanish class Melinda struggles

Ignorant when the rest of the class huddles

Together after the teacher says:

“Linda means pretty,” igniting a signal

 

Like a flare in the sky, all at once

All of the students say

“Melinda no es linda (Melinda is not pretty)

Melinda sento en su silla (Melinda sat in her chair)

 

To escape the pain of everyday

She sneaks in a room where things go her way

The school janitor's closet where she lays,

Where she gazes at quote by Maya Angelou or pray

 

She moved to the back of the class

to isolate herself from the rest of the mass

To reduce the effects of her unease and agitation

and to control her ability of auto-elimination

 

but she’ll later realize something

she is not the only kid who grew up this way

to this day, despite how big the Earth is,

the world is small like a toy of child’s play, to this day… -

 

Her mother thinks she is becoming weak

Melinda has an issue, she can’t bring herself to speak

“Say something Melinda you'll lose your unique

values, and if you don’t we’ll just scowl”

 

“This is not as funny as you think,

If you don’t act now, you’ll just sink

with the rest of kids in this non sterile facility

in a place that shows you have a vulnerability”

 

In the third period, before the fourth quarter

Riding shotgun with the art teacher who knows

she has a generalized anxiety disorder

telling her how to impose her feelings in a polyphonic prose

 

and he shows Melinda that what she needs is right under her nose

but to superimpose this prose, she needs to realize

that her psychological necessities can no longer be hypnotized

by the rest of society and to speak without the fear of being criticized.  

 

Overtime Melinda worked hard to form her tree

She made trees after trees, but they were empty

she struggled to give it meaning and identity

luckily there has been another girl who has been watching her since the beginning

 

This girl has been watching her form husks

She watched as Melinda sat there frustrated

Morning to dusk, Melinda worked

So Ivy stated:

 

“Melinda, i’m impressed with what you have become

My drawings are so dumb

but why so glum, it needs a beat like a sound from a tenor drum

Just add some details and it'll be done.”

 

“Ivy, i’ve been working on this stupid tree all year

I feel like a botanist as I try to engineer a tree that represents me.

I mess up day after day trying to create the perfect symbol to demonstrate my purpose of being here

I give up, I am useless, I won’t do this anymore”

 

“Melinda, I implore that you continue to add more

A stray mark or line is what defines your innerself

Don’t erase, try to hide, or restore what you have made

Those imperfections is what refines your unique qualities”

 

“Honestly I believe it’s those flaws or abnormalities

that describe everyone's’ personalities

but here come with me and i’ll show you something

A bathroom stall covered in writing”

 

“but take a closer look:”

written on the walls and floor:

comments about the boy who assaulted her soared as far as the eye could see

Melina then realized: “It wasn’t just me”.

 

After this sudden realization, she returned to her closet

She closed her eyes and tried to mediate a meaning

Subsequently, the feeling of a hand gripping her locket

And with the other, a sound a door which IT locked it

 

With no doubt, it was HE who came along

He caught her in her sacred domain and didn’t let her leave

He wanted her to tag along with what he had in mind which was wrong

as he locked the door to the outside world, she cleaved and struggled not to conceive

 

what he thought of her as he held her up on the wall trapped

kept hostage against her will as she was under attack

as a matter of fact the mirror in the closet shattered

reacting by grabbing a shard and holding it to his neck

 

having the audacity to say “get off me now”

after demonstrating such a speech act

The lacrosse team bashed the door open and had her backed

with the rapist stunned with a messed up optic tract

 

With the truth known, she was treated like a human

Without it, they may have never assumed

but this world watches as one of many is consumed

Until someday they are exhumed

 

At the end of the year, about to be promoted to a sophomore

Melinda tore the chains that choked her into her misery

as she ended her war with herself and society

along with making amends with a variety of people without constant field artillery

 

a valedictory to the one who assaulted her

a pyrrhic victory was thought to be achieved

However in the long run she gained what she seeked

A voice that was hers, which allowed her to finally speak

 

Now the moral of this story is what is distorted by economics

While the world is terrorized, greater problems arise

What our leaders and elder audiences fail to argue in politics

Is what allows our younger generations to become very apprised

 

about the real problems that are at hand

and the many achilles’ heels of our homeland

about the homeless and the unemployed on the streets

and the many who are thirsty and hungry and constantly passed by the police

 

We understand the issues of the world, though we have no voice

We know how to solve the issues impending, but they don’t let us speak

The government may know what is best, but we know what is the better choice

We may all be human, but we are more humane than some leaders at their peak

 

We recognize that money is not justification for someone to die

and oil and resources is not a reason to dismember and eradicate

We acknowledge the fact that this is how the world is as we’re forced to standby

but with proper support, we can change this harsh environment and advocate for a greater humanity and acclimate to a better future

 

The story is based on the book Speak by:

Anderson, Laurie Halse. Speak. New York: Farrar Straus Giroux, 1999. Print.