All too often society pressures us to remain positive whatever the cost. I wrote this poem to explain the importance of accepting your true feelings because you need to process them in order to heal. Denying sadness and pain in an effort to seem constantly positive may well eventually have negative side effects such as chronic illness.
I decided to group these three poems together as they both cover the same topic.
Positivity is the way to go
Negativity? A big fat “NO!”
This is awesome, that is cool …
Negativity breaks the rule
The Thought Police are watching you
To your thoughts you can’t be true
Pretend that it’s all hunky-dory
Your feelings inside are a different story
But these directives are so hard to swallow
In negativity it’s so easy to wallow
Why must negativity be taboo
When it’s also a part of me and you?
As long as we’re true to how we feel
We can face our emotions and help ourselves to heal
Feeling guilty for feeling bad is unproductive and really quite mad
Those who tell us to “buck up!” need to learn to “shut up!”
Being positive all the time?
There is no reason, there is no rhyme!
Utopia and Soma didn’t work out
So what is all this fuss about?
Learn to accept how you feel inside
No one has the right your feelings to deride
Don’t ever feel guilty for feeling sad
Work through those emotions – both the good and the bad
Sometimes we need to feel down and out
So that we know what happiness is about
Vent to the people who truly care
Because if they do, they’ll WANT to be there.
Don’t give up hope for a better tomorrow
Because your positivity will eclipse all that sorrow
Someone told me they like my light
But lately I don’t feel so bright
Society tells us to do things with a smile
To fake it till we make it
To show some guile
Sadness is scorned
We drug ourselves with “Soma”*
Emotions are pawned
Our hearts are in a coma
Our feelings eat away at us
Like a malignant melanoma
So it’s best to be honest
And accept how we feel
Be ourselves with those we trust
And try to keep it real
I may not feel inspiring today
Or make your sadness go away
But try to do what’s best for you
And to your feelings always be true.
* Happy drug given to people in Aldous Huxley’s “Brave New World”.
