Christopher Tran Poet Free verse

Label

Label
In this world, everyone is given a singular label at birth
Though it's just the first of many we may receive in life
The first ever label anyone gets is either boy or girl
But many choose to trade it for one better suited for them
Unfortunately, people choose to bully others just for fun
That is the type of world we live in, sadly
Next comes an unfortunate act for almost everyone: school
Here, if you aren't careful of your actions, the consequences are dire
You could be stuck with deplorable ones such as **** and many more
The children here attempt to imitate their parents because they don't know better
So often they are cruel to one another just because they can
Either that or they enjoy it too much
And telling anyone your struggle is futile, as they don't care
Their sympathy is fake, with hollow words
The final part of the play of our lives is approaching: Adulthood
Though some aren’t lucky to make it this far
Few consider them blessed, escaping this life
Here, we face the true cruelty of this world without any shield
Our only item is our labels gathered over the years
Where everyone will always be your enemies despite their honeyed words
Betrayal is a common theme here, with everyone aiming for the top
This is the world we live in: Full of labels

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Alison A Smith September 1, 2026 at 1:49 AM Christopher, this is a powerful and resonant free verse piece. I really appreciate how you structured the narrative chronologically, taking the reader through the stages of birth, school, and adulthood to show how labels accumulate and weigh us down over time. The raw honesty and the metaphor of life as a play where our only shields are these gathered labels make for a deeply impactful read.