Welcome to Poetically Yours. Poetically Yours showcases poems from northern Illinois poets. This week’s poet is Auburn high school’s LIT UP group member, Safiyah Brooks.
The LIT UP poetry group started as a sixth-grade project in 2015 by Lori Beach-Glass. LIT is short for the word literature. The students are in high school now, but they continue to plaster their words across the community. This group participates in an open Mic at the Certified Open Mic and Poetry Slam at the Rockford Public Library Nordlof Center.
LIT UP visited WNIJ and performed on Facebook Live in April. During this visit, some of the students left lyrical gifts. This poem is by Safiyah Brooks. It’s called “First Loser.”
Second place is something I'm all too familiar with.
When you're one second behind instead of 2 seconds ahead.
Never recognized, never admired, never enough.
You're always compared to others that are more "accomplished".
Better at friends. Better at family. Better at life.
Everyone looks at you as if they have to "dumb down" the big words.
Comparison. Comparison. Comparison.
I'm just the "first loser" in their book. 1st place's caddy.
Cuz 1st is well... 1st so second is the first loser.
2nd place means everything.
Everything to 3rd place.
The runner ups runner up.
How I yearn to be 3rd, or 6th, or 17th. Anything but 2nd. No more second. No more first loser. No more me. No more pain. No more noticing. No more comparing.
People only notice to criticize.
