Poetry On Odyssey: Not What You Wanted. I Am What I Need. | The Odyssey Online
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Poetry On Odyssey: Not What You Wanted. I Am What I Need.

This is the declaration...

Jalani Johnson
Apr 30, 2018
The State University of New York at Stony Brook
109
Poetry On Odyssey: Not What You Wanted. I Am What I Need.
Jalani Johnson

This is the declaration:

I am not the fulfillment of your expectations.

I am not the stagnation of the brain
That claims I can't be greater.

I am not the product of past actions.
They do not puncture my passion.
This liberating proliferation sends my thoughts running rampant.

I am bigger than what you say I can't be.
Better than all that you wished of me.

I am evidence against the decadence
You've convinced me to see
In my own reflection
Ever since I started fighting for myself.

My stance is substantial,
I'm standing where the steps
Of my ancestors faded.
My feet are
Steadied by the echoes I've studied,
And even those still yet to be stated.

My future is presented by my present,
Not my past.
And my presence in the present
Is transcendent of what's passed.

You can't deny my growth.
I'm going to be twenty when
The week comes to an end,

And my mental grit has never been more prevalent,

So if my past portrays selfishness,
Protruding through my future is
Resilience,
Love,
And overall Excellence.

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This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
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