“I’m Here. Can You See Me?”

Today I was engaging a young lady in a conversation about the impact that social media has on one’s mental state.

She shared that it can cause some young ladies to feel insecure.

As she expressed her feelings, she said something that immediately stopped me in my tracks:

“I’m here. Can you see me?”

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I paused.

Those words stayed with me.

So I jotted them down.

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After we finished our conversation, I brought it back to her.

I told her:

“Those words you just said… they’re powerful. POWERFUL.”

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Then I challenged her.

I said:

“Write a poem. Title it—‘I’m Here. Can You See Me?’”

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And this is what she wrote:

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I’m Here. Can You See Me?

I’m here.
Did you hear me?
I’m here.
Just wanna make it clear.

Do you hear me?
I guess you can.
Say you can.

I guess you can hear me.
But like I said,
Can you see me?

See that
I’m tryna get pretty.

Do you see me cry?
Afraid of changing.

I said crying!
How about lying.

You see me when
you tell a lie?

But like I said,
crying, yelling,
hurting, acting out.

Making me into a person
I don’t recognize.

I’m here.
I can see me.
Once again,
I’m telling you
to believe me.

But,
Can You See Me?