Poster Girl

Is it irony or shame
that I practice what you preach?
You taught me courage
which I used
to tell the world the truth

When it came out,
The world could see
The world of good
You did for me
What pain would knowledge cause you?

And now I lead in this crusade
Peaceful fighting to be free
You see I’ve changed
You give the praise
But do not take the blame

This was not all your doing
You simply gave me the tools
How were you to ever know
To practice what you preach
I had to change the rules?

No rose without its thorns
This change is good and bad
I may now go on to change the world
You have my gratitude
But I am not your poster girl

A question for your consideration; What makes this poem a poem?

Is it a poem simply because it's in lines and broken up into stanzas?
Poetry needs a bit more than that to seperate from simple ... speech. This sounds like your just speaking directly to someone. Obviously, the poem does address someone, and of course you're perfectly well allowed to do that in poetry, but that doesn't mean you strip the language of all colour. Poetic devices are your new God. Worship them, and spread their joyful word all over the land, and all over your writing. Imagery, rhyme, rhythmic devices. Use them.

It is a lighter poem than some of my others, it does have rythm (or atleast I intended it to) but I think what really makes it count as a poem instead of speech is that there is more to it than what you read at first, which is something I think is important in the meaning of this poem because it's about not jumping to conclusions and being to quick to judge.

I admit there's not much poetic language, not doesn't mean it's not a poem, just that it's a different sort of poem, a little blunter to go with it's blunter message.

Using more poetic language is something I'm working on though.

It has more meaning then you read at first and it has a blunter meaning? I'm sorry, but I don't think it's as layered as you think it is. I think it's quite as blunt as you think it is.

There's no point in being blunt in a poem. Why do you choose to express something in poetry if not for the aesthetic - and bear sharply in mind that I mean 'aesthetic' in the broad sense, it doesn't necessarally mean 'pretty'.

From what you have said I can see you haven't understood it so while I'll keep in mind what you've said about my lack of metaphors and such I think I'll choose ignore what you've said about it not being layered.