13 Reasons Why: Hannah’s Poem
There has been a recent spotlight on the young adult fiction book Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher. Anyone who has a Netflix account or basically any connection to teenage girls knows that this buzz directly comes from the newly released Netflix series that is an adaption of the book. This popular new series was made available March 31, 2017, drawing the attention of not only teenagers, but millennials in general. Ultimately, the plot boils down to teenagers struggling with the social climate of high school. Whether that be slut shaming to sexual abuse, this show relates to the average teen better than I can say. Be warned, Thirteen Reasons Why is not for the light hearted. The content is overwhelming at times with the utter realities of life at that age. At BRTD, we obviously condone reading before watching, however this show is spectacular and definitely binge worthy (just don’t forget to pick up the book...conveniently located here http://a.co/8D8OWIW )
Listed below is a poem displayed in the series, which kicks off a new facet of our Book Club. Poetry is a notable contender in the reading experience, so we encourage you to explore it. This poem demonstrates the teenage troubles that are frequently mentioned in the book/series. Hopefully, by sharing this with our readers, you can discover something that you can relate to or at least respect. Poetry is often characterized by the difficult Shakespeare and Walt Whitman that is shoved down students throats. Not that it isn’t respectable, but what does that help us? This can become an outlet for the readers that don’t have a lot of time to read long novels as well. Don’t be nervous.
So is this show scary, you ask? The show is terrifying, but not the way you think. It’s scary because the characters are you. They’re your family, your friends, and your teachers. It’s scary because you’ve done or will do things like some of the things they did. It makes you think about everything you’ve done and everything you might do. It’s a terrifying show because it could actually happen. For some, it’s the feeling of guilt that you might relate to these characters that bring you back. For others, it’s the sheer suspense that this series does oh so well. There seems to be a coincidence with how 13 Reasons Why was a Netflix series– 13 episodes, released all at once, just like the tapes, for us to work our way through just like the characters. Do you binge watch it all in one night? Or do you have to watch it in bits and pieces because it was all too painful? Is it doing things to your head too? Is everyone talking about it at school? Is everyone talking about Hannah Baker again?
Today I am wearing lacy black underwear
For the sole purpose of knowing I am wearing them.
And underneath that? I am absolutely naked.
And I’ve got skin.
Miles and miles of skin;
I’ve got skin to cover all my thoughts like saran wrap that you can see through to what leftovers are inside from the night before.
And despite what you might think, my skin is not rough;
nor is it bullet proof.
My skin is soft, and smooth, and easily scarred.
But that doesn’t matter, right?
You don’t care about how soft my skin is.
You just want to hear about what my fingers do in the dark.
But what if all they do is crack open windows?
So I can see lightning through the clouds.
What if all they crave is a jungle gym to climb for a taste of fresher air?
What if all they reach for is a notebook or a hand to hold?
But that’s not the story you want.
You are licking your lips and baring your teeth.
Just once I would like to be the direction someone else is going.
I don’t need to be the water in the well.
I don’t need to be the well.
But I’d like to not be the ground anymore.
I’d like to not be the thing people dig their hands in anymore.
Some girls know all the lyrics to each other’s songs.
They find harmonies in their laughter.
Their linked elbows echo in tune.
What if I can’t hum on key?
What if my melodies are the ones nobody hears?
Some people can recognize a tree,
A front yard, and know they’ve made it home.
How many circles can I walk in before I give up looking?
How long before I’m lost for good.
It must be possible to swim in the ocean of the one you love without drowning.
It must be possible to swim without becoming water yourself.
But I keep swallowing what I thought was air.
I keep finding stones tied to my feet.
“Today I am wearing lacy black underwear...” - She’s called a slut, even though she is wearing the underwear for herself and not others.
You feel pretty, like you can take on anything and it will be okay, because you just feel so good about yourself. You’re not wearing it expecting anyone to see it, but you know it's there.
“My skin is not rough; nor is it bullet proof...it’s easily scarred.”- No matter how tough we may seem or act, we’re all fragile with flaws.
Things just hurt each of us differently. Some of us may wear our pain like scars, and others bury it deep. You’re afraid to tell people how you feel because you think it will destroy them, so you bury it deep inside yourself where it destroys you.
“But that’s not the story you want…” - People are so fast to sexual girls and don’t understand that not every motive is sexual.
At heart we’re innocent and miss the simpler days when image didn’t matter. No one cared about the clothes you wore, how you did your hair, or how much makeup you put on. We want to be free from being objectified, from the idea that women were created for the pleasure of man, without original thoughts and abilities.
“But I’d like to not be the ground anymore...”- She wants to stop letting people walk all over her and treat her like she is dirt.
They have their own agendas and don’t care about our feelings and emotions. People are selfish and leave pain in their wake.
“What if my melodies are the ones nobody hears?” - Meaning what if I am ignored or not worth listening too.
Everyone is ignored at some time in their life, and often time that is high school. The unfortunate thing about it is that people base their self worth in the people that surround them, not themselves. Surround yourself by people that want to listen to you, that care.
Better Read than Dead,
Addie & Geneva