{"id":25183,"date":"2021-04-29T09:20:24","date_gmt":"2021-04-29T15:20:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/aimsreview.aims.edu\/incite\/?p=25183"},"modified":"2023-05-15T13:18:39","modified_gmt":"2023-05-15T19:18:39","slug":"letter-from-an-ex-gifted-kid-by-elizabeth-richards-junior","status":"archive","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/aimsreview.aims.edu\/incite\/letter-from-an-ex-gifted-kid-by-elizabeth-richards-junior\/","title":{"rendered":"Archived: Letter From An Ex-Gifted Kid by Elizabeth Richards (Junior)"},"content":{"rendered":"
Please stop calling me smart.<\/span>\r\nI don\u2019t like it, and it\u2019s not a compliment.<\/span>\r\nEvery time those words leave your mouth,<\/span>\r\nI want to peel my skin off,<\/span>\r\nOpen up my skull and show you<\/span>\r\nwhat those words have done to me.<\/span>\r\nThe scars on my self-love,<\/span>\r\nThe minuscule paperweight I call my self-worth,<\/span>\r\n(The boulder called self-loathing,)<\/span>\r\n(The bruises from thinking I let others down,)<\/span>\r\nThe poisoned whispers when I don\u2019t force myself to only do homework.<\/span>\r\n\r\nIf I fell apart, would you finally see?<\/span>\r\nOr would you say it\u2019s my fault?<\/span>\r\nThat I should know how to deal with this by now?<\/span>\r\nWhat if I ripped out the already fraying seams,<\/span>\r\nLet all the pain flow<\/span>\r\nLike a river from my mouth,<\/span>\r\nYelled until my throat is raw<\/span>\r\nAnd my voice is hoarse.<\/span>\r\nLetting you know how I\u2019ve been let down<\/span>\r\nBy authorities,<\/span>\r\nBy family,<\/span>\r\nBy those who were supposed to care,<\/span>\r\nBy the education system I was supposed to flourish in.<\/span>\r\n\r\nBeing a gifted kid doesn\u2019t just mean being smart.<\/span>\r\nIt means being better with complex equations<\/span>\r\nand writing research papers<\/span>\r\nthan you are with people.<\/span>\r\nIt means fearing tests,<\/span>\r\nBecause what if you\u2019ve been faking your intelligence,<\/span>\r\nAnd this is how they find out.<\/span>\r\nIt means your grades are your identity,<\/span>\r\nYour whole being comprised of percentages<\/span>\r\nAnd assigned numbers that are otherwise meaningless.<\/span>\r\n\r\nBeing a gifted kid means anxiety,<\/span>\r\nPutting so much pressure on yourself<\/span>\r\nThat you break\u2014letting it all bleed until you have nothing left.<\/span>\r\nIt means staying in bed all day<\/span>\r\nBecause you have no motivation<\/span>\r\nAnd there\u2019s a never-ending stack of homework on your desk,<\/span>\r\nWaiting for you to come finish it.<\/span>\r\nIt means all-nighters and burnout,<\/span>\r\nChugging energy drinks<\/span>\r\nAnd joking about sleeping when you\u2019re dead<\/span>\r\nBut that\u2019s the only guaranteed peace you have<\/span>\r\nSo maybe it\u2019s not so much a joke.<\/span>\r\n\r\nYou say it as a compliment,<\/span>\r\nBut to me,<\/span>\r\nIt means I still have no worth<\/span>\r\noutside of my memory.<\/span>\r\nIt\u2019s not a compliment<\/span>\r\nI am more than my brain<\/span>\r\nI\u2019m a person outside of my grades and education<\/span>\r\nSo please,<\/span>\r\nPlease stop calling me smart.<\/span><\/pre>\n
 <\/p>\n
Biography:\u00a0<\/strong>I enjoy bringing characters and places to life through my writing, and I get inspired by the people around me. Some of my poetry is even inspired by my D&D party and our wacky adventures. Poetry and writing let me visit worlds I can’t in real life and let me explore ideas beyond my normal reach. It’s a form of self expression and entertainment, all in a pen.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Please stop calling me smart. I don\u2019t like it, and it\u2019s not a compliment. Every time those words leave your mouth, I want to peel my skin off, Open up my skull and show you what those words have done to me. The scars on my self-love, The minuscule paperweight I call my self-worth, (The… <\/p>\n
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