Enough

By Traci Neal

PROMPT — The way I see it ...

Peer pressure damages a black teenage

female with glasses. Popularity projects her

as ordinary. She wants to possibly

obtain some acceptance. Her skinny,

frail frame can’t compare to the Coca-Cola

bottle bodies of other adolescents

her age. They flaunt their shapes, their

figures. The black teenager wishes she were

seen by guys willing to look her way.

Reality reminds her she is different.

Black teenage female, you were given

from glory on high. The sirens you felt

sitting in your mind are dead. Drive out

bullying. Teach others to take a stand.

We let the world convince us that

we are not enough.

Not good enough.

Not attractive enough.

Not talented enough.

Without knowing her neurodivergence

before adulthood, her ADHD, and autism,

the girl walks in crowds, harassed

for being bowlegged. Teenage bands

break her heart. Dry bones pile up

in the wilderness. Bloodstream runs

and wrecks. One pine cone after the other

hits her head. She pleads for relief,

feels death might be her only solution.

Faith devises a different plan.

One day, an opportunity emerges within

a seventh-grade middle school classroom.

The black girl’s teacher asks for volunteers

to share a poem they have written. The

adolescent female raises her hand to be

chosen. Clueless to the fact that she was

born for a purpose. Once she speaks, the

bondages are gone. Words flow into

a powerful picture, shelter from the storms.

They echo within the classroom walls.

Her peer group takes it all in.

Black woman, black teenage female,

black little girl, you were made

to be enough. Today, live in truth.

Weary humans have

a hunger for hope. Make victories

out of travesties. Decide to yield to light.

Yank rejection at its roots.

I am a black, neurodivergent woman,

equipped to empower those who need

strength. I am the former black teenage

female mentioned. Wellness fades when

we don’t wake up. Face battles and win.

The good thing about opinions is

you don't have to wear them.

A positive wardrobe is a choice.

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Traci Neal is a neurodivergent poet residing in Columbia, South Carolina. She has shared her personal story of being a late-diagnosed black woman in the Thinking Person's Guide To Autism, Newsweek, Good News Post- UK, and Autism Digest, to name a few. Her poetry has been featured in Poetry Potion - Poem A Day, Moonstone Arts Center, Real South/West Magazine, Spillwords Press, Feminessay, Spirit Fire Review for 2025, and many others since 2021. Neal utilizes poetry as a tool to advocate for those in need and to raise awareness for non-profits worldwide.