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VPR's coverage of arts and culture in the region.

Young Writers Project: Ignore

Courtesy, Susan Reid
About her poem, titled, 'Ignore,' the author said, "This poem describes how I found freedom by tuning out the trivial and embracing the people and things in my life that truly matter."

The word "ignore" has such a negative connotation,

it is only thought of in relation

to being unwanted, an enraging frustration.

When, really, ignoring can provide a delightful vacation

from the people who live off of three shallow sensations:

humiliation, accusation and constant flirtation.

How can we trust when throughout this "great nation"

lies are accepted without confirmation;

no one is seen without speculation;

no one can be famous without exploitation?

When it seems like there is no consolation,

the happiest people are the ones who realize a "shun"

is a gift to ourselves, an emancipation.

The trickiest part is knowing what deserves toleration;

pay attention to details, not the demoralization.

So, is it really a crime to resist the temptation,

to give society the power of intoxication,

to let it spoil your spirit with no chance of salvation?

Don't label those of us anti-social, stuck-up or weird;

look at those people with admiration,

because their will is stronger than your desperation.

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