The gift in their eyes.
Sometimes strangers hold you tighter
than the hands you thought would stay,
sometimes comfort comes from voices
you were never meant to know by name.
And yes, it stings ,it always does ,
when love shows up where blood goes thin,
but there’s healing in being heard,
even if they don’t know where you’ve been.
They say, “You have a gift , stop,”
“Your words brought tears I couldn’t fight,”
“I love this, please keep writing,”
“I can’t wait to read your life.”
Words I’d never heard before,
not because they weren’t true ,
but because my voice was only used
when it served someone else’s view.
They saw my fire, felt my depth,
knew how bright my words could grow,
but instead of tending to the flame,
they taught me shame instead of hope.
Nothing I wrote was ever mine,
every truth was torn apart,
so I learned to fold my feelings small
and bury them deep in my heart.
But I’m older now, I won’t be quiet,
I won’t hide what lives in me,
I can’t keep carrying this weight
and calling it peace.
So to the strangers who stopped and stayed,
who read my pain line by line ,
know this: you are more appreciated
than you’ll ever realize.
You could’ve scrolled, you could’ve slid away,
but something made you remain,
and because you did, I keep creating
meaning out of pain.
When I write, I think of you ,
the ones who saw me from afar,
the strangers who believed in me
more than those who knew my scars.
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125,024 Literary Works • 672,762 Reviews
Heyyy! It's catsz dropping by and leaving a review! Let's dive into it now!
First of all, the title and the description really caught my eye. I think many people will relate to this. The title is full of thought and effort, and it hints at what will be pointed out in this poem!
This part, is definitely by far my favorite. It gets directly to the point, how strangers can be more supporting than even your own family/friends.
The rhyming makes it oh so smooth, and it flows like a river!
Sometimes, the people you expect the most to comfort you and support you are the ones who betray and leave you in your darkest times. And those who you don't know, those who you pass by on the streets, are the ones who would help so much in your life. Sometimes they are even more trustworthy, because they don't know what you've been through, so they try to be nice.
As of now, I don't have any suggestions, this poem clearly expressed the support and emotions perfectly.
I loved reading this, thanks for sharing and I look forward to more of your poetry!
~catsz :3
Good afternoon ^^
It’s shaping up to be a very poem-heavy day for me. I was very intrigued by your summary!
“when love shows up where blood goes thin,” why do I have to think abt the saying blood is thicker than water and how we are always misinterpreting it?
Out of all the things, this is really stuck with me: “I can’t wait to read your life.” That is such a cool and even powerful motivation! It could also go beyond the literal, that you have to stick around because someone, even if you don’t know them, wants to see where you are going.
I was wondering a bit about this line: “but because my voice was only used” because it is in the context of words you’ve never heard. So, shouldn’t it be other people’s voices? But then again, you can also tell yourself nice things – and we so rarely are so kind to ourselves. So I interpret this as you never being able to say something for yourself, only to serve others.
I really like the message of this poem, and how hopeful it is despite the less-than-ideal situation :3
It feels very motivating for me too. Keep on being kind to each other, friends 😊
Have a great day!
Hey there Lifeofjay,
This poem is touching and expresses an important theme in life that I, quite honestly, have never thought enough about, yet I now realize how true it can be. They weren't quite strangers for me, but for example, I had an English teacher in middle school who really helped me through mental health struggles.
I love how the poem starts by emphasizing how unexpected it is that such kindness would come from unfamiliar people, and how that is meant to be. I also liked how the tone shifted to a bit of a defiant, reassured one later on, around where the speaker says, "I won't hide what lives in me." And the speaker begins to embrace the strangers' acknowledgement of their gift.
I think the title "the gift in their eyes" suits your poem really well! So did the light rhyming scheme that really helped it flow gently along.
Besides a few spots where there were spaces before commas and after them instead of only after, the punctuation and grammar of your poem was amazing.
My favorite line....although it's really difficult to pick, I think it was "meanining out of pain," as it was really beautiful and kind of paints the ongoing legacy of the speaker.
Sorry I don't have much feedback to offer, beautiful poem and keep writing!
This is a really great poem, it's a struggle I'm sure a lot of people can relate to. The feeling of wanting to be heard, but yet feeling like you have trap the thoughts and the poems inside yourself; lest they see you any different.
It conveys so well the meaning a simple message from a stranger can have. You don't know them, they don't really know *you*. But they know this one part that you share with them - And they might resonate with that part, and let you know you aren't alone.
The rhyme scheme itself is interesting, at first read I felt there was most structure at the start of the poem, and then less, but no, there's rhymes the whole way through, but they don't follow a consistent pattern as far as I saw - and it works, because the poem is meant to signify this breaking out of conforming to other people.
Well done, it's a good poem.
This is a really great poem, it's a struggle I'm sure a lot of people can relate to. The feeling of wanting to be heard, but yet feeling like you have trap the thoughts and the poems inside yourself; lest they see you any different.
It conveys so well the meaning a simple message from a stranger can have. You don't know them, they don't really know *you*. But they know this one part that you share with them - And they might resonate with that part, and let you know you aren't alone.
The rhyme scheme itself is interesting, at first read I felt there was most structure at the start of the poem, and then less, but no, there's rhymes the whole way through, but they don't follow a consistent pattern as far as I saw - and it works, because the poem is meant to signify this breaking out of conforming to other people.
Well done, it's a good poem.