Spring arrives, and then, oh no Announcements, posters, are you gonna go?
Sweating under an April sun They say it’s supposed to be - fun
Can't help thinking of you Us?
My mom says she’ll pay if I dress up like a lady for once
Ha, I was thinkin of a bold red tux
But, school’s gotta lotta opinions about my “personal touch”
Smokey eye tutorials fill screens during class, “her perfect gown”, “his matching tie”
rule pop-up ads Why the mile high heels, when you’ll just
switch to flats?
My sneakers and I never understood that.
I watch the campus set fully ablaze another day, another viral epic gesture
I fantasize sending you four notes one with each letter
Dance out the feelings I’ve held in so long Change the lyrics to your favorite song
Ask the most beautiful girl to prom Instead the rules say we
don’t belong.
So I let the main drama ensue, who‘s going with who,
He’s skipping, they’re ditching She’s rollin up in a Roll’s Royce, limited
edition They sure make it seem like it’s not worth
missing
And I’m determined to go, I’ll tag along with some casual acquaintance
all to find your eyes once or twice across a hazy gymnasium
Did you hear, like, a third of our class can’t even afford to make it?
They’re organizing some anti-prom kegger situation
Feels weird we’re so split for high school’s biggest celebration
A lot of these policies Feel really...
outdated
Anyway,
Anxiety kicked in and I missed the group dinner, But I paid for the $50 plate and met for photos
after Standing awkwardly somewhere between
The football team and ladies in glitter Everyone giggling and giddy
over filtered grams and twitter
I held my breath and posed like a stuffed clown
Asked myself, “when can I just be me in this town?”
Hopped in a ride hoping I’d stumble into you as I arrive
like all the boys who were drunk before they even got inside
And when I walk in, I spot you with a date on your side
He pulls your body into his, wish it were mine
...Oh.
My.
God.
I’m staring, act.
cool.
Look, hors d’oeuvres!
So begins the ongoing saga of bathroom breaks,
just to breathe and hide and reset expectations
It’s a beautiful occasion Music blaring, decorations
Picture perfect Minus the discrimination
(And self-elimination)
Speaking of, it’s time for the crowning ceremony
automatically one King and one Queen We cast the usual suspects, I mean royal subjects,
of popularity Or tokenize an outcast for a moment, before
throwing them back into obscurity
I’m sorry, I just..
I’m just jealous, probably.
The truth is, we’re all more than our stereotypes And, we have the opportunity to prove that
tonight Hearts beating, human beings under one ceiling
unite i’m afraid this prom has fallen very short
of that sight
Screw passivity, I manifest my reckless inner rebel
Fueled up, I don’t care if I get into trouble My sneaker feet run to yours, and no nerve
stands a chance “Excuse me, Miss, this might be different,
but can I have this dance?”
Can’t put my hand on your waist, So I tell you a story with my eyes
Even if they won’t let us grind Most of us have the same thing on our minds
Don’t lie.
Song is over in a flash, and the Principal Is headed toward us fast,
I beat him to the punch, walk away to grab a snack
I just stole the best moment of my life, And I’m never giving it back.
Students start to leave, but the night is anything but over
“After Prom” is a whole new wild rollercoaster I’m tired, and a little nervous about co-ed
sleepovers especially the pressure to wake up anything
but a virgin or sober
So, enough of this whirlwind, I’ll crash into the pillow with you on my mind
Imagine and dream of a prom re-designed.
A place where everyone’s safe to be themselves, and come together
To bring who they want, dress how they wish,
Get in the door, and make a memory that lasts forever.
Ten years out, I’m still wondering Whether you would’ve gone with me
If we could’ve been ourselves Leave the plastic shoes on the shelf
Who were we all performing for The chaperones, the linoleum floor?
The DJ scratching every record Suits and dresses, plans, just wallet-wreckers
I’m sure “picture perfect” is a lie someone’s still trying to sell
But you don’t have to be in the market That’s the secret they don’t want us to
tell
Some of us waited so long For an invite we deserved
Eventually we learned, we’ve got to choose to love ourselves first
Some of us just wanted to find Some small way to cross the line
Let’s not let the new kids end up promatized Let’s graduate them with stars in their
eyes
Cause when I think About seventeen
And the pressures unseen Bullies, cramming for tests, self-discovery
I know We owe
Ourselves another dance
Hey, Alyson Stoner here. Thanks so much for watching. Special shout-out to Ars Poetica for bringing
poetry to my channel and the world. Thank you to my followers who submitted their prom stories. Tell me
about your prom below, and give some advice to students going this year.
This video is inspired by DoSomething's #TAKEBACKTHEPROM
There's still discrimination for race, gender, sexuality, religion and that's just not okay in 2019.
So, visit DoSomething.org and help Take Back the Prom. #notsponsored #someofusactuallyreallycare
If you're a real one, like/comment/subscribe and share. Sharing is caring.
See ya next time!