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Below is a poem written by 16-year-old Jade. She is one of the fierce and fabulous young women who attended our August 2019 camp. And she is an enigma.
Jade oozes talent—musical, artistic, writing, and mountain talent too.
It turns out, you see, that Jase is a mountain cat. We witnessed her take to rocks and trails, fire-starting and tent-building like a pro. The coolest.
She showed up to camp with a few pesky voices in her head telling her things about herself that simply were not true. A committee of assholes up there talking smack. She left camp standing up to those voices and giving them a big ol' SHUSH! (This is easier said than done.)
When she got home, she wrote this ode to that Committee of Assholes. And she gave us permission to share it with you.
These are Jade's words. And this is Jade rising.
Ode to the Committee Of Assholes
Size 2, 5’10 and light skin
Size 16, 5’6 and caramel skin
The phenomenon of how I look.
These standards you have set for me I am nowhere near. In your standards you could say that I am imperfect, not your typical type of beauty. You have even gone as far to say that I am unattractive.
Oh well.
I don’t want to live by your standards. Now I would like to say that I have learnt that there is nothing more beautiful than someone different.
Now I’m not saying that someone who does fall into your so-called standards isn’t beautiful, I’m just saying that someone who doesn’t is beautiful too.
I’ll admit there has been a day or two and even a month where I wish I looked like the girl in the perfume ad or the one on the perfect magazine cover or the girl on Instagram trying to sell me who knows what but, I have discovered my own standards.
I don’t think that everyone has to listen to them,
I don’t know if I even want to tell anyone.
Just know I don’t need your input.
