KARPE
Neverland
Second Star to the Right
Saturday May 31st, 2025
To: Society
To the, most undistinguished, ladies and gentlemen of the public, I would like to thank you…
Your never ending gaze and cold societal embrace has always accompanied my fondest traumatic memories, and haunted my frivolous nightmares.
For the first time I was set apart from my peers based on the grade of my hair or the brand of my shoes, you were all there. Soullessly looking down upon my stranger self, observing and comparing, weighing and measuring.
The mindless mob, guided by standards rooted in mystery, forever supporting and encouraging me with ruthless critique and reprimand, urging me to “do better”. And for you, I always did. When I put red and yellow together because I liked it, you made sure to reorganize for monotony. When the size was too small I ingested your advice, and when it was too big I ran from the consequences. When the leaves grew tall and strong, you straightened and tamed the wild. And when it grew flat and complacent, you were there to encourage more vivaciousness.
I have faithfully heeded your every remark, absorbed your every input, and it seems it will simply never be enough. You will, without fail, always find the crack in the paint upon the ornate wall. You will, without remorse, belittle the size of my Auntie Liberty. You will, without a glance, find the kink in the invisible line. And I have had enough.
No longer shall I foolishly attempt to appease the disdain of the blind jury. No longer shall my words be counted and filtered in order to slide softly into the ears of the not so innocent. No longer will I grovel at the feet of the disgraced and the fallen accomplices of industry. You have graciously allowed me to grow feeling alone and guilty for being my own different entity.
Therefore, that lonely entity I shall be, back to the woods I will flee. Naked as a flower and grounded as a tree, to this grey and cruel jungle I bid thee…
Adieu.
About the Creator
KARPE
Creative, colorful and kind, with a splash of Anxiety and Personality Disorders...
The perfect recipe for a complete mess, but also a captivating story.
Welcome to my notebook.
Learning Hurt First
Before learning ever felt like progress, it felt like punishment. No one tells you that at the beginning. They dress learning up as curiosity, as growth, as something gentle. They show you graduation photos and success stories and say, See? It was worth it. But they never show you the bruises learning leaves behind—the small humiliations, the quiet failures, the moments where you realize you don’t know as much as you thought you did.
By LUNA EDITH3 days ago in Writers
Comments (1)
This piece really hits home. It makes me think about how society's constant judgment shapes us. I've felt that pressure to fit in. Do you think it's possible to break free completely or will there always be some influence? I like how it shows the toll it takes on a person. Have you ever had an experience where you decided to go against the norm like this writer? It's a powerful read, making me reflect on my own interactions with society's expectations. What do you think are the first steps someone can take to start standing up for themselves like this?