Porcelain:
The porcelain doll,
the precious, fine china,
sits snugly in the cabinet.
The maker thinks keeping it enclosed
is what is right.
But the doll sees the shattered remains
of its former “friends,”
and wonders, “Why am I different?
Why am I set apart from them?”
The perfectly crafted porcelain
tries in vain to fall apart,
and doesn’t understand why it won’t,
just,
break.
Little did it know the maker
knew its purpose from the start.
It was meant for greater
than its broken companions.
So the porcelain doll, dirtied and confused,
stands upright, smiles,
and returns to its shelter
to wait for its fulfillment.
Since this the first article I've ever written, I figured I'd begin with the very first poem I ever wrote. Since this I've written over a hundred poems, so it's surreal to be reading it again after such a long period.
I may be a poet, but I do not believe in telling people "figure it out," when it comes to the meaning of a poem. I believe developing your own perspective and then hearing the poet's perspective is a great way to think differently and grow.
Picture this: A 17-year-old emotional weirdo just moved from his childhood home into his stepdad's house with a stepdaughter who parties constantly and is the complete opposite of him. Consequently, I wrote this when I was experiencing a lot of change and didn't know what to do to get all my energy and emotion out of my body.
I had considered writing poetry in the past, but something inside me said that that day was the day I began writing. In the poem (forgive me if this is obvious, it was my first poem after all), I'm the porcelain doll, and it's about how I don't understand why I have never been one to be impulsive, vulgar and to be a "bad boy," like Ferris Bueller or whatever your mind pictures.
It was me feeling trapped in my mind and morals in a complete fear of doing wrong. I would try to do what I saw others doing, but I could never allow myself to do it.
After I realized I will never be like those "cool kids" who party and do whatever pleases them, I remembered that everyone has their path in life, their own mistakes they have to make, their own memories to create. I realized I shouldn't consider myself above them in any regard whatsoever, because we're all human and there's certainly no one correct way to live.
I decided that I should never be who am not, and not to worry if I'm not impulsive, because the path that has been designed for me is completely different than the path of whoever I'm comparing myself to (1 Peter 2:9 is a cute little reminder of that).
Therefore, it's essential to remember that each person has their own calling, their own way of living, and that whatever makes them happy is rarely yours to question. Be yourself, let other be themselves, and the world will be yours.
