I am okay.
I swear I am okay,
For not okay
Is not an option,
And that’s okay.
Do you believe in time;
That there is a limit or eternity?
Do you believe in life;
That there is meaning or if it’s just a battery?
Do you believe in love?
I don’t believe in love.
But that’s okay.
That’s fine.
I swear,
I’m fine.
I’m fine.
Please, don’t believe me.
Is it simpler to say
That you are okay,
When you feel like tearing your heart out?
When the people around you
See you as relief,
Not as a person
To value.
But I’m exaggerating;
I’m just a teen.
What would I know about despondency?
What would I know about the
True meaning of life?
Didn’t it just start?
But that’s okay,
Because I’m okay.
Isn’t that what the boomers say?
Students are at the same level of
Anxiety
As patients in mental institutions
back in the day.
What do you have to say?
Am I on my phone too much?
Do I fake my anxiety?
My depression?
Will you kick me out
For speaking my truth?
Adults think it’s disrespectful,
When you don’t let them
Disrespect you.
But I’m fine.
Because I am silenced,
I am just a kid.
You have a level of authority,
You say:
“Don’t you dare raise your voice,
For I am me and you,
Well,
You’re you.”
I get it,
I’m angsty;
I’m kinda crazy like that.
I can smile,
I really can;
But I’ll burn your house down.
I’m just kidding.
Gen Z jokes.
It’s interesting how
No one cares for your sadness
Until it doesn’t matter anymore.
I’m fine.
It’s fascinating how one
Will not believe you
Until it’s too late.
I’m fine.
It’s disgusting how
You believed each
I’m fine,
But now play victim when
You found out I wasn’t.
But I’m okay,
For not okay
Is fine.
I’m fine.
featured image: https://gph.is/1NJkVlp
Dear Christina,
I love this spoken word so much! I could listen to it on repeat and I feel like so much more people should hear this because it speaks great lengths. SO many people could relate to this because I feel like everyone has their issues, everyone is sad and everyone feels helpless at some point or another. What you wrote really grounds the feeling and because of the way you structured it, it was made it that much more meaningful. There is a lot of parallelism and repetition of the idea of being fine and how it’s reinforced that, no, we are not okay at all. There is nothing I could suggest for feedback because this was written perfectly and performed beautifully. I fully admire you as a person and a writer and I can’t wait to read more of your work in the future!
Love, Sarah <3
Sarah,
Thank you so, so much for your comment it really warmed my heart. This is really cool hearing from you because your spoken word blows me away every time. Thank you!
Tina
Dear Christina,
You are truly a genius and a goddess.
I love this piece so much. I never got tired of hearing it.
You are brave. You took on challenging an entitled generation. And did it well.
Thank you so much. I genuinely have no criticism. You are amazing. You are ethereal.
With love,
Tolu x
Tolu, why
You make my heart warm. I thank you for always believing in me, whether it’s to my face or even if it’s merely from the side.
Much love,
Tina
Dear Christina,
Can I just say that I was absolutely shook after your performance. Like if I was to just see this spoken word on paper, I would get the meaning and everything down, but I would be missing out on that emotional element you give to it. There is something about the rise and fall of your voice, which sets you up perfectly for acting. The word choice itself of ‘okay’ and ‘fine’ along with its repetition makes it seem more like the speaker is trying to convince themselves that they are doing alright. This desperation could be heard through your voice, and I feel like you have many untold stories in your heart that by writing about them would make you feel both liberated and a better writer.
For improvements, I really didn’t have anything for you to work on because of how you crafted this piece really well, adding your own personal flare to it when you went on stage.
All in all, I hope you enjoy the rest of grade 11 and keep on inspiring people with your writing.
Sincerely,
Abhay
Abhay,
Thank you for your comment, I really appreciate. I am very glad that I was able to capture the emotional element in my performance. Thanks once again.
Tina
Dear Christina,
This was undoubtedly one of my favourite Spoken Word pieces that were presented! The way I could relate to every single line made me love it even more. I was waiting until you’d post this too, since I wanted to read it again and maybe do something like this for my final project. The theme this piece revolves around is just so genuine and so real, that, I’m not sure why, many people don’t talk about, maybe it’s a little personal for them? Anyways, WELL DONE!!!
In terms of improvement on the piece itself, I have none. I do think; however, that there is always room for improvement whenever anyone’s presenting something. Something that makes YOU presenting unique, similar to what Abhay said above^.
Overall, your blog is one of the few I enjoy commenting on, and I hope to read any future posts!
Sincerely,
Unas
Unas,
Thank you so much for your kind comment, it means a lot. I’m happy I got to know you a little bit more this year!
Tina