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Ameirah Rivers Poem
Since high school I’ve been trying to be pretty.
New clothes.
New friends.
New personality .
Being less nerdy.
Less of who I used to be way back when.
But see the problem is,
I’m still who I used to be in middle school.
No matter how much makeup I wear.
No matter how many hoodies I throw away.
I’m still Ameirah Rivers.
The girl with the strange walk.
And the funny fashion taste.
With the weird taste in men.
She wasn’t messed up.
Nothing was wrong with her.
They were white and skinny,
And she was just Ameirah.
And that’s ok.
Be Ameirah.
Bring joy to peoples faces
Make them look twice
Stand your ground.
Argue back.
Keep living.
Keep nerding out.
You’re authentic.
Not covergirl.
Just Ameirah.
Copyright © Ameirah Rivers | Year Posted 2024
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Details |
Ameirah Rivers Poem
a river of guilt washes over me.
My chest tightens, my stomach knots.
I can’t eat.?I can’t speak.
It feels better than the blows?
that once lashed against my skin.?
At least the hits explained? why
I should feel hurt,?
why I should be afraid.
But her words—?they leave me frozen.?I want to explain,?I wish I could.
?But it’s like she always says:?“You never know, do you, Ameirah?”
Copyright © Ameirah Rivers | Year Posted 2024
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Details |
Ameirah Rivers Poem
Mom, I miss home—
Not the place I live now,
But the place I had in the past.
Sure, you used to hit me,
But somehow, I think I was happier then.
Back when I still had a sense of childlike innocence.
Your blows only stung for a moment.
Now, the hits have turned to yelling,
Words that linger long after they’re said.
If I had to choose, I’d take the cable cord again—
The crack against my skin,
At least then, the pain was real,
Tangible.
This mental war is different,
A game I never learned to play.
The bruises fade,
But your words carve wounds I can’t heal.
Mom, I miss home.
But I wonder—
Did I ever really have one?
Copyright © Ameirah Rivers | Year Posted 2025
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