My survival of this trauma
Isn’t a teachable moment for you
Why do you insist I inspire?
What lesson have you learned?
Cause it feels like you othered me
Hidden behind a performative smile
Those pretty words distance us
Words to make you feel less akward
Because you can’t imagine my life
You can’t see surviving my reality
And by putting me on a pedestal
By saying such empty pleasantries
You get to walk away from this
Without a second thought
But your inspiration isn’t respect
It’s a wall between you and I.
Elizebeth Turnquist 
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