College Tip 5: Don’t Stress to Impress
Picture Source: Pinterest
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/500744052313467233/
*The following is a poem called “Pretty Face,” which is featured in my poetry collection.
Pretty Face
I’ve been trying to think of an explanation for hours,
but I can’t think of anything.
How are you single
with a face like yours?
There’s always the thought looming in my mind
that I’ll run into you somewhere on campus
and my body won’t know how to react.
I’ll do that thing I always do
where I have to think about breathing
and it doesn’t become involuntary anymore.
I’ll slip over my words and say,
“I’m you, how are good?”
instead of
“I’m good, how are you?”
like I did last time.
You make me lose any trace of composure.
I can’t formulate words
just thinking about those hazel eyes of yours,
and the gentle curve of your lips is an absolute killer.
If Aristocrates was here,
he would help me find the right words.
I’m not blessed with striking features,
but I’m working on loving how I look,
and I have more friends than I could’ve ever imagined
except you.
That makes me forget about all the support sometimes.
You don’t see me as a friend at all,
but you still like to keep me around
for your entertainment.
I wonder if you think I’m actually funny or if
my existence itself is funny to you.
A friend would never make my life a joke.
The truth is I’m not cool enough for you.
You want a guy who likes manly things
and can hold it down as a quarterback in flag football.
But I like to write poetry instead of storming the field.
I can name all of the contestants from The Bachelor,
and I haven’t played flag football since middle school.
I don’t wanna be too clingy,
but I’ll do anything to be with you.
I’ll choose you over any of the 44,000 students here.
Don’t you realize how special that is?
I’ll spend some time at the gym
just for you because you think I’m a little chubby.
I won’t wear my blue Crocs anymore
because I know you think they’re embarrassing.
I’ll even delete that video I made from seventh grade
of SpongeBob clips synced to “Call Me Maybe”
that ended up getting 100,000 views.
But I get if you don’t want me here.
So if you want me to leave,
I’ll do that, too,
even if I never believe
I’ll be better off without you.
I’ll spend days trying to figure out
why you never thought I was good enough
until I realize that you never saw the good in yourself
and you projected that on to me.
You knew I was lonely,
and I was so hurt
that just a little more pain wouldn’t do much.
I can’t believe a pretty face could make me feel this desperate.
Why don’t I ever embrace mine?
*Note: In college, I feel like a lot of students have this notion that they need to impress others to get their attention. Based on my experience, this notion is maximized when it comes to people that students want to form romantic relationships with. However, it’s important to remember that you don’t need to go out of your way to impress a potential lover. And if you feel pressured to do so, that person is probably not worth forming a relationship with, and you should probably focus on loving yourself instead.
In this article series, I share excerpts and stories from my book, Are These the Greatest Years?. I hope you enjoyed this post — if you enjoyed it and want to connect you can reach me here via email dominicrose50@gmail.com or connect with me on social:
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