Not Another Teenage Stereotype Statistic Poem by Shiloh Thompson

I don’t look like the other girls,
Not dressing in Hollister and AE,
Never shopping at Abercrombie & Fitch,
Could never afford to pay that much,
For clothes I can get at Wal-Mart.

I don’t pay $100 for a pair of jeans,
My $20 ones work better in the stables,
Paint splatters and tears hard won from work,
A story behind every single one of them,
Unique, not like any other on display.

My boots and belt are worn and faded,
Not shiny and new right from the package,
But I wouldn’t trade all those days and nights,
Earning my strips in the stable and saddle,
So take your new ones, I’ll take mine.

A hoodie and jeans suits me just fine,
They are practical and comfortable to me,
Skin tight clothes just aren’t my forte or style,
You can’t ride in a dress or a pair of heels,
And all that glitter fades under the dust.

So all you boys may look right on past,
To see the peacocks around this sparrow,
Just take a peek past my less-than-Vogue looks,
And you may see something beyond beauty,
But I don’t expect you to do that at all.

You see, I have my health, heart and brains,
And there are people out there that see that,
My horse, boyfriend, pen pal and best friends,
My family, my teachers, and my mentors,
So please, walk on past, I don’t care.

I don’t need your flashy clothes and ‘cool’ style,
Honestly, I have nothing to prove to anyone here,
Just know this: beauty fades away and style changes,
Today’s fashions are tomorrow’s Goodwill donation,
But who I am and where I’ve been… That’s forever.