Don't Scrutinize the Girl by the Cover

Personality traits - everyone has them, however some are easier to understand than others. The fact that every single one of these personality traits contain flaws leads me to believe that no one is perfect and therefore no one should be judgmental toward anyone who may have a trait that may be difficult to understand. Although this is the case, low and behold, we have many judgmental scrutinizers everywhere. As you may have already guessed I'll be addressing something that annoys the hibby jibbies out of me - JUDGMENTAL SCRUTINIZERS!

I'll be talking more about personality traits and how they affect our human interactions in subsequent blog posts but for now let me know if you can relate to what I am saying in this poem.

Don't Scrutinize the Girl by the Cover

There once was a girl who was happy
Simplicity was her forte
She avoided the loud and the flashy
Quietly content, minded her own way

Rare but hidden were her talents
Fascinating those who took time to know
She perfected them with grace and balance
The years passed and watched her skills grow

But there were those who didn't understand
They strongly rejected her novelty
Her silence confused them
Her oddity bemused them
Her presence they objected to audibly

The years that passed were unkind
The brightness of her world became black
As judgmental eyes and scrutinizing lies
Relentlessly attacked and attacked

If only they took time to know
To learn before they judged
To carefully remove the cover
That misguided ways had fudged

The beauty beneath that cover
Its fascinating quality
Could have wowed and transformed them
Sadly they missed that opportunity


My attempts to express my feelings through poetry is driven by my hopes that people will get the message. There are people in this world who suffer isolation and rejection simply because of their personalities and most of these very people are talented and capable of making the world a better place to live through these very capabilities. The following is a quote from Tammy Cramblett from an article she wrote called "Famous People Who Went Unnoticed Until After their Death:

Vincent Van Gogh. This is truly a disheartening example of the frailty of the human psyche and what rejection can do to it. Vincent was a Dutch artist and very unstable man. He had no direction and no-one to care enough to try and give him some. What is really awful about his life story is that he shot himself, cut off his own ear and lived through both of these actions, only to die in a hospital two days after he shot himself. His sister-in-law gathered up all of his works that she could find and sold them. Now, he is considered one of the finest painters ever and his pieces sell for a lot money. Where was the praise and encouragement when he was living?


Taking it a step further, I recommend a blog post written by Celi Trepanier. Find the article here. It is an emotional and heartfelt article entitled "8 Things the World Must Understand about Gifted Children" and highlights the travesties that children endure simply because they are different. 

The next time you come across someone with a different personality, don't scorn them. You never know what amazing talents lie beneath their awkwardness. Be encouraging, be the one who chooses to be a light instead of drifting along with everyone else in their indifferent coldness or someone who judges without knowing. Please... don't be what I have coined a "judgmental scrutinizer". Be a positive reinforcer!