If my Insides were my Outsides
If my inside were my outside
Then no one would know
In a glance
In a first look
What I was
Or more important
Who I was
We all know there's harassment
It takes on many forms
It happens in the classroom
In organizations
In residence halls
But if my inside were my outside
We could change this reality
Because you'd have to forget all the stereotypes
And just concentrate on me
If my inside were my outside
Then you couldn't
Judge me
Label me
Make assumptions
without first
Asking me questions
And you would want to ask me
If my inside were my outside
Because it would be the only way
To know
What I think
What I feel
What I love
What I hate
What movies I like to watch
What food I like to eat
What music I like to listen to
What language I like to speak
If my inside were my outside
Then the first thing you'd see
Wouldn't be
My color
My breasts
My walk
My hair
My heritage
My talk
If my inside were my outside
Then you wouldn't make
Mistaken assumptions
I am here to get married
Of course I want a beer
I am here on a scholarship
I am sensitive by nature
I have feelings
I shouldn't be called on in class
You better lock your doors
I'll understand and tolerate your jokes
I have money and you can't have any
I'll probably get AIDS
I'll only sit with people like me
I'll use my body as a resume
If my inside were my outside
Then I wouldn't be afraid
To walk with myself alone
To sit with you in the cafe
To raise my hand in class
To let you know who I am
To go to parties where I'm out-numbered
To see a teacher after class
To be counted among the masses
To spend all my time trying to fit in
To spend all my time trying to match your life
Instead of investigating my own
If my inside were my outside
Then you really wouldn't know
You'd have to get to know me first
You'd have to start by saying hello
And after you got to know me
You may still find I'm a jerk
But you couldn't just assume it
It would take a little work
And you might find out
I'm beautiful
You might find that in the end
And you'll get something
You hadn't counted on
You'll get yourself a friend
We all know there's harassment
It takes on many forms
It happens in the classroom
In organizations
In residence halls
But if my inside were my outside
We can change this reality
Because you'd have to forget all the stereotypes
And just concentrate on me!
See you peeps in the am!
xoxox, Casey
I thought today was an great start and that the group we have this summer seems to be very open minded and on the same page. We all want to be here and are putting as much effort as we can into making this experience amazing.
ReplyDeleteJohn's seminar, in my opinion, was not only eye opening and touching but amazingly worded and displayed. I think that we all got to understand eachother a little more and look at eachother beneath our outter shells. Hopefully, as the week unfolds we will make great friends and find out what kind of people we really are. I am excited for the rest of the week!!
I completely agree with you about the presentation Nadia!!
ReplyDeleteCasey I loved that poem "If my insides were my outsides" because guess what we all have the same insides and you would not be able to make any judgements until you tried to get to know the real me!