They Said

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Hey everyone! This is another poem in the set of poems I wrote while on my mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter day Saints. This one is not overtly religious, but was inspired by experiences I had on my mission. While on a mission for my church young adults are put in groups of two to three. These groups or 'companionships' are connected to congregations and work in certain areas. Your partner is called your companion and you are with this person 24/7 for possibly months at a time. Every 6 weeks these companionships have the possibility of changing. So one of my companions was not happy with who I am and spent a lot of her time criticizing me and telling me that the struggles we were having were all my fault and that I didn't love enough or help enough. I wrote this poem in response to her criticism. We can't let ourselves lose who we are in the face of criticism of others. Thanks for reading!

Come just how you are They said We let everybody in We are all human beings And have a part in the grand plan So you step inside the door And everything changes Be a little better They say We can't take you how you are Reach a little higher You're not there till you touch a star And you reach and you reach But you never make the bar And then they say You're not even trying hard You need more faith And a lot more love You need more hope You don't have enough Are you really even trying? There is no proof till you're flying But your feet are weighted to the floor And you can't try anymore Because it's a lose lose situation No matter what you do You try to do it this way Only to be told its that And when it comes to that way This is where it's at And you just feel like crying You said come as I am That we are human beings And all part of the plan But when you do They say A human being? You? Are you sure you're not a robot? Just trying to be you? You don't have emotions You do anything we say You go through all the motions But it just is not the way And then you start to wonder And it's power off, shut down Because everything you can feel Hurts so much you drown So you run away Escape Back out the door And walking down the street They say Come just how you are We let everybody in We are all human beings And have a part in the grand plan And you look them in the eye I don't think so Not today I'm trying to be me And I can't do it your way.

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Line Gauthier

Date: 5/13/2020 12:35:00 PM

Wow ~ a powerful observation born of hurt, disappointment and false claims ~ people will say anything to lure you into their plan... the joke is that they are convinced they are helping. Bravo ~ well written, Heather.