For National Eating Disorders Awareness Week, A Chance to Heal hosted its first annual poetry contest. Winners received cash prizes for being selected first among many excellent entries.
First Prize | Second Prize | Third Prize
Diversity by Teneema Tibbs, Norristown Area High School
Light Skin, Dark skin,
It's all the same,
No hips, Thick thighs,
Who's to blame?
Petite Girls, Thick Madame's,
Size 16 and Size 2,
Black hair, Blonde hair,
Whatever suits you,
Generic brand, Name brand,
What does it matter there still clothes,
Look how you want to look; it's not like a camera's around
And you have to strike a pose,
It's not a competition about who's the thinnest,
And who can dress the best,
Be bold, Be different, and set a trend for the rest,
Natural hair, Hair Extensions,
Hair is still hair,
$1 earrings, $15 dollar earrings,
There just for you to wear,
She's fat, she's skinny,
Labels are not for people there for clothes,
Be comfortable with your genes, and let everybody know,
Don't be ashamed of who you are,
Or where you came from, Everybody has a flaw and no not just one,
But that's what makes you unique, you stand out from the rest, So smile,
And enjoy life, and learn how to be mature, So expand your thoughts,
And let your mind explore.
Inside of My Broken Body by Tabitha Cannon, Academy of the New Church
She sits and stares at her crippled body,
Born with a broken heart and a body of glass,
Her wheelchair is her shadow,
Her medication is her candy,
She cannot run and play,
All she can do is simply lay,
She will never feel the the freedom of dancing,
Her legs they sit,
Alone she sits,
They call her different
But some call her special
She whispers to herself
I am normal,
I am normal,
She pulls herself up to the mirror and grips the cold sink,
She closes her eyes and envisions a world that lies within her
The ocean's breeze on her face
Her legs beating the rough sand
Feeling the ocean's cool water on her feet,
She laughs and dances to the winds calming song,
She rushes by the waves,
She becomes intoxicated with the sweet bliss of her world,
She grips the cold sink harder as a single tear rolls down her dry cheek,
The world begins to fade out and she cannot hold herself up any longer,
She falls back into her shadow and rushes back into reality,
She sits and stares at her crippled body,
Which is not who she is,
For who she is lies within herself,
The calming world that lies within her heart,
A place where her body does not limit her,
And her true being is free.
Ode to You by Michele Hannon, Norristown Area High School
You were born as merely you,
You're special and unique,
And you dont have to be a member,
Of that oh so popular clique.
No one can tell you who you are,
For that is your decision,
Don't let any person judge you,
For you are what you envision.
Sometimes people are short and round,
Some are tall and slender,
So no matter what your size is,
Celebrate your splendor.
Just because you do not think,
That you are smart or pretty,
Don't believe the media,
You're beautiful and witty.
You listen to these models,
Who tell you to wear size zeroes,
Those women are just fake and plastic,
They are not your heroes.
Someone is maybe bigger than most,
They feel unwanted and alone,
But they are worthy of respect,
They shouldn't be on their own.
Then there's people who eat nothing,
And live no life at all,
They think that they are fat and ugly.
And that thought is their flaw.
People in the world today,
Think you must be skinny and lovely,
And what they do not realize,
Is that their perception is all that's ugly.
You were born a beautiful person,
No matter what others say,
Love yourself and everyone,
Live and seize the day.
Celebrate your differences,
To yourself you must be true,
Because what more is their to celebrate,
Than simply being you?
