What do you see <br />As I stand before you, <br />Which façade do you believe? <br />Under the tattoos <br />Can you see the dedicated student? <br /> <br />Behind the scars <br />Can you still see the beauty? <br />I look at you out of clear eyes <br />Because on my skin is where I cry <br /> <br />Can you see past the fake smiles <br />To that lost child <br />Still waiting for her mama? <br />My family's abandoned me <br />More than once <br /> <br />They could never see past <br />My mother's shadow <br />Down to the real me. <br />I ask once again <br />What do you see <br /> <br />When I am standing before you? <br />I am lost in this sea of labels <br />Thrust upon me by <br />Family, friends, and lovers <br /> <br />Losing any semblance of sanity <br />With each heartbreak. <br />Pleading for just a little help <br />In finding myself. <br />Look upon me <br /> <br />Without preconceived notions <br />Because underneath this cynical exterior <br />I am asking you to see me as I am <br />And still love me.<br /><br />Jody Renee Pantiga<br /><br />http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/are-you-even-looking/
