We See Nothing Wrong

By TT

Patching up holes in “old” drywall,
Sanding down all that lies rough,
Painting over mistakes with white paint…
Left me with a “spot” of new.

Like a full moon in the night,
A reminder of the damage I caused.
Catching my sight every time I turn,
But these people pass by oblivious…

Still, I anticipate the scrutiny ruefully.
Finally questioning “doesn’t that spot bother you?”
A white spot on an old wall…
And they say “we see nothing wrong…”

Maybe it’s time to forgive myself…

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49 Comments

  1. Emma Moody on April 13, 2022 at 12:36 AM

    I love this poem. I think it sends a strong message of forgiving oneself, which is incredibly important for youth and adults. Being able to forgive yourself gives you the ability to recreate your purpose and it will benefit your future. Once you can forgive yourself for damages done in the past, you will be more susceptible to receiving forgiveness from others, which will make it easier to move on to better things and leave your regrets behind.

  2. Zach on April 13, 2022 at 6:45 PM

    Wow! I loved how you told a story throughout your poem! The imagery allowed me to visualize exactly what you were saying. The ending line was very strong and powerful as self forgiveness is something many struggle with. This last line also revealed the whole point of your poem and that was a really cool set up! Thank you so much for sharing!

  3. Claire and Aliza on April 18, 2022 at 6:50 PM

    This is beautiful and really powerful. I would love to hear more about your journey towards forgiving yourself and how it relates to the earlier aspects of your poem. How do you envision self-forgiveness?

  4. Jacey on April 19, 2022 at 7:42 PM

    Hi TT,

    Thank you for sharing your beautiful words. I think this is very powerful, and something I personally needed to read. Most of us see all of the wrong and damaged parts of ourselves and assume that is all everyone else sees, too. Typically, we are the only ones who see it and give it power. You are the only one who can see your faults and forgive yourself, to love that new patch and the knowledge you gained from it. Thank you for reminding me of this.

    you are loved,

    Jacey

  5. JB on April 20, 2022 at 1:27 PM

    I love how you compared and related spots on walls to mistakes. What seems like a big deal to us is sometimes small in other people’s eyes. I have been in many situations where I had to forgive myself but it was not easy. I think the poem will inspire others to do so too. I loved it and hope to read more of your work!

  6. Emily L. on April 20, 2022 at 5:59 PM

    I think you have a lot of great descriptor words in the first 4 lines. It really paints a picture of the work or effort one has to exert to forgive yourself. I like how you then drew on how you see the wall versus how other people see you wall. This poem has a clear flow of your internal thought processes which provides a “big picture” look of how you are handling forgiveness, regret, and self-identity. I think you did a great job!

  7. Taylor M. on April 20, 2022 at 9:52 PM

    TT, thank you for sharing your poem! I thought the words and the message behind it were amazing. I hope that these kind messages help to show you how talented you are. Writing is such a great skill to have, and I’ve always wished I was better at it. I hope you can learn to forgive yourself, we all make mistakes in life. Forgiveness can be hard, especially when it comes to forgiving yourself. But, it’s what you do with those mistakes that says the most about you! Thanks, again for sharing, TT!

  8. Erin on April 21, 2022 at 12:50 PM

    I can feel your pain in this poem and you have conveyed your wanting to move on and start fresh. This poem has a lot of emotion in it. Your poem shows how you feel and i hope to see more poems from you.

  9. Taylor H. on April 21, 2022 at 2:46 PM

    Thank you for sharing your beautiful work. I love the metaphor that you used comparing your battle with guilt to the “spot” on the old wall. I thought of the statement “we see nothing wrong” as having support from those around you, and it is a beautiful thing to think about. Forgiving oneself is often more difficult, and a more timely process, than others forgiving you. I love that you shared this message and I hope you continue to love and forgive yourself day by day!

  10. Laura Winkelman on April 21, 2022 at 6:46 PM

    I love the use of “drywall” relative to covering up and starting anew.
    Forgiveness says you are given another chance to make a new beginning.

    — Desmond Tutu

  11. Mary Brennan on April 22, 2022 at 11:53 PM

    This is super powerful, it shows that we are typically our own toughest critic.

  12. Madison on April 24, 2022 at 10:01 PM

    This poem has such a powerful message about self scrutiny and forgiveness. The symbolism you used does a great job of conveying your meaning and giving a visual for the emotions you experience. We often see things in ourselves and assume others can see them too without realizing that we are our own worst critics. I’m glad you were able to come to this realization and I hope that you are able to forgive yourself, as we all deserve to be at peace with ourselves.

  13. Alex on April 25, 2022 at 6:17 PM

    I really like this poem. It shows that even though we may falter, even though we may not always do the right thing or make the right choice, even though we may be broken or cracked, we continue on and we better ourselves. This new plaster is a way to fix ourselves but really its just how we learn. its how we become better people and its ultimately how we grow.

  14. Philip on April 25, 2022 at 9:03 PM

    This is a very deeply moving poem. It speaks to that feeling of the “old you” versus the “new you.” Feeling like you are a deeply damaged individual with a lot of scars; the “old drywall.” And then feeling that what you do to cover it up will never be enough; the “white paint.” I think that this really speaks to our rough edges, our faults and failings. And the need to patch ourselves up and forgive ourselves to become the best versions of ourselves.

  15. Brittani on April 28, 2022 at 2:18 PM

    Dear TT,
    Nice flow and beautiful structure. I truly enjoyed reading this and related to it very much. Please keep working at it. This is very poetic and powerful. Love the metaphors and the imagery so people can truly understand what it means. Love the work

  16. Charlie on April 29, 2022 at 11:27 AM

    Hey T.T,

    I reread this poem a few times, and the more I did, the more I found. I am still deciphering the quotations surrounding the word “old”, I’m wondering what you meant by that, but am guessing that you are drawing attention to the way that what was old is now becoming new again through your work.

    It also sounds like you work meticulously, you pay attention to details. As someone who feels similarly, I really appreciated the extra details you included about your methods. By the way, I love the language in this work.

    The second verse gets more intense in my mind. It sounds to me like you are being hard on your work when nobody else is noticing the details that you are. I understand that feeling very much, the more I try and not pay attention to my “mistakes” and “flaws” the more I think about them.

    I like the line “anticipate the scrutiny ruefully”- it really speaks to how you might be harder on yourself than other people will be.

    Maybe it is time that you forgave yourself. I really appreciated reading this.

  17. PA on May 8, 2022 at 7:02 PM

    Sometimes our harshest critic is ourself. I can personally attest to the difficulty of forgiving and allowing yourself to move on from past mistakes. I like the metaphor of patching holes in a wall, too. I think it’s important to remember that in forgiveness we have to forget. We may still be able to faintly see where we’ve patched the wall, how, despite the efforts made to fix what we’ve broken, there will always be some evidence from the past because we cannot completely undo what happened. That’s where the forgetting comes in. We stop thinking of what the wall was like before you put in the holes, and we take the wall for what it is in its totality, finally holes-filled, whole again. At least, that’s my take. That’s what your words say to me. Thanks, TT.

  18. Carson on May 9, 2022 at 8:55 AM

    What “they” say is so powerful because it is what you think and what YOU say what really matters and this really connects to me. Mainly because I am a middle school boy who cares what others think. So thank you

  19. Jillian on May 9, 2022 at 3:13 PM

    TT,
    “But they pass by oblivious,” is something I can relate to. Sometimes people are so blind when something is right in front of them. This poem was beautifully written and it’s amazing! I loved how you used metaphors to say things in a creative way. Keep writing and never give up!

  20. Mayi on May 17, 2022 at 12:46 PM

    Hi TT,

    What a great poem and really amazing metaphor you did with the drywall. I find it interesting to think how we are often so critical of ourselves and pick at every detail or how much a thing from the past can really get to us. I guess that saying that we are our own worst critic stands a bit true sometimes. It is also important to remember that we are the only ones that know ourselves the most, we are the only ones who have been with ourselves in every moment of our lives so we know what we have been through and why. So we have to start thinking that people won’t instantly jump to the harder-to-accept parts of ourselves and that detail of ourselves or our life stands out the most because that will not and does not have to be the thing that defines you. There will always be events and things that either will come up or you yourself will make that define you and you will be proud of.

  21. Katelyn Flanigan on May 17, 2022 at 11:57 PM

    The beginning is beautifully written and a great way of expressing trying to fix past mistakes. The last line also sticks with me as I have found it hard to forgive myself for some mistakes that I have made. Others may forgive you however, knowing that you could have done better can make it hard to forgive yourself. I truly believe that we are hardest on ourselves and that can make it really hard to push past the mental block and forgive yourself and move forward.

  22. Kora Myers on May 30, 2022 at 8:59 PM

    TT, your vulnerability in this poem is beautiful. Some of us are harder on ourselves for past mistakes than others and it can be exhausting for us. The metaphoric use of the drywall and paint was used well to illustrate past mistakes and how they stick out like a sore thumb to ourselves. The things we are most insecure about do usually prove to be overlooked or unnoticed by others. Thank you for this reminder.

  23. Justin Lambert on May 31, 2022 at 12:58 PM

    This poem hit me hard; I often grapples with mistakes I have made before and I appreciate the way that you framed it while still making it relatable. The spot on the wall analogy also works really well because I tend to notice those as well. I also think that the way we view our mistakes as much worse from our own pov, but it may not be as bad as we think when looking from another’s perspective.

  24. KC on July 28, 2022 at 3:19 PM

    TT,

    I love the image you create with a patched wall. After going through so much in life, you can feel like a collage of patches on a weak wall. However, your strength is in the ability to patch yourself up and keep standing. You hold onto guilt that no one has for you. Forgive and continue patching.

    KC

  25. Juliana on September 23, 2022 at 12:58 PM

    I read this over a few times and each time it was more and more impressive. I loved the analogies you used with the paint, It was such a powerful message about how you can paint over the old mistakes with the future.

  26. aaliyah padilla on October 1, 2022 at 6:22 PM

    Hello TT, I want to start off by saying how fascinating, and truly beautiful your poem is. Reading this stuck my heart because you state nothing but the truth across your words. We as people tend to always try to help everyone else in this world except for ourselves. We always underestimate how much we can take and hold when we ourselves are our worst critic. It’s crazy to me how we disguise our inner troubles with a smile and are so focused on making sure other people don’t notice we fail to see that the only ones who are going to notice at all. I love the words you use in your writing. Like when you said “patching up holes in old drywall” was just such a good comparison to how it feels when we do those things. I’m not sure why we carry all this guilt, and don’t prioritize ourselves more, but I hope we, and anyone who needs to forgive themselves for anything they can find it in their heart to do so and find inner peace. Everyone deserves to feel self-love, and free from self judgement. TT I really hope all finds well, you really are one with words. Thank you for sharing this.
    Wish you the best!- Aaliyah

  27. Nora on October 2, 2022 at 6:40 PM

    In the first stanza the comparison between wall renovation and the renewing of a person was interesting. Most write as if the renovations fix the problems or make them better than new. You write it as if fixing a section of the wall or yourself, cause the new spot to draw attention, ignoring the issues that still need help. The night and moonlight refences really accentuate your point of only focusing on what you want too. The connection you made at the seconding to last stanza to the first stanza shows the fluidity of your writing while still staying grounded.

  28. Ainsley on October 6, 2022 at 8:04 PM

    Hi TT,
    This poem was very inspiring. I really liked how you used the analogy of the spot on the wall to feelings of guilt. The line “catching my sight every time I turn / but these people pass by oblivious”, was a beautifully worded way to verbalize the self-scrutiny that people undergo. I relate to this message that people often have difficulty forgiving their own mistakes, whereas other people do not care as much as others think they do. The last line was beautiful and represents a strong message about self-forgiveness and new beginnings.

  29. Oshane on October 11, 2022 at 11:51 AM

    Thanks for sharing this poem with us that sends the message of self-forgiveness. This is a hard topic. Sometimes it is so hard to forgive ourselves for things that we have messed up or failed to do but at some point, we must assess the situation and gradually move from that place of being too hard on ourselves that we get crippled by it. Forgiveness is essential to move on and experience inner freedom.

  30. Meghan on October 14, 2022 at 8:48 PM

    This poem is a great representation of moving on from the past and not being ashamed of the mistakes that you have made. This is a great mindset to have. I liked the line where you talk about patching up a hole in the wall and not seeing a problem with a white spot on an old wall. It is very good how you are aware that this is okay. Overall, I love the imagery in this poem and it makes me want to read more poems by you.

  31. Meghan on October 21, 2022 at 9:20 PM

    Wow, this poem is very powerful. I love the example you wrote about patching up “old” drywall. It helped me to visualize and understand forgiveness a lot better. Also, I like how you used multiple similes in this piece. I know that you have the right attitude and can make a difference in the world! Keep up the great work!

  32. kayley on October 23, 2022 at 2:53 PM

    I really enjoyed the imagery in this poem since it let me envision things easily. Without realizing it, we are often our own worst critics because we see things in ourselves and think others can see them, too. I liked how you compared your struggle with guilt to the “spot” on the previous wall. The message of using the future to cover up the past faults was so strong. Keep up the good work!

  33. Emily on October 23, 2022 at 10:32 PM

    The idea with the wall is brilliant. It makes you think about your situation in a broader way. If people are telling you that it’s time to forgive yourself, then try. I know it’s not easy. I feel bad when I take the last slice of pizza in a group. This is much more minor that your situation, but I have a feeling you can do it. Whatever happened to get you into prison was a bad decision, we know that, but it’s the choice to forgive yourself that makes the first step towards a better future. Apologizing to your self is the first step before you can do the same to others. It still doesn’t erase what happen, but it shows you are trying to be a better person.

  34. Ruby on October 24, 2022 at 7:41 PM

    Hi TT, I think this poem is genius. I love the way you tell the story through imagery, it’s easy to visualize what you mean. Talking about self forgiveness in this way is so unique and interesting. The concept of seeing your mistakes so clearly while others don’t even notice is powerful. You deserve to forgive yourself!

  35. kayley on November 2, 2022 at 11:24 PM

    Beautifully worded and a terrific way to convey attempting to make amends for the past, the beginning. It might be tiring for us since one of us is tougher on ourselves than the others when it comes to past mistakes. The drywall and paint metaphor worked effectively to highlight previous errors.

  36. Conor Thompson on November 13, 2022 at 6:22 PM

    TT I have to say that your poem is one my favorites that I have read in a while. Your poem really made me open up and think about up my life with all the times in my life where I patched up walls in my life. To quote the show Bojack Horseman “When you look at someone through rose-collored glasses, all the red flags just look like flags.” I feel like this relates to this very heavily. I hope you are able to knock down those walls you have made for youself.

  37. Mackenzie Curry on November 20, 2022 at 1:49 PM

    Hi TT,
    I really appreciate how this poem is short but yet full of so much, With the paint and wall metaphor, and the use of “They,” it’s all just so much deeper than meets the eye. I think the poems that are shorter are always the most powerful ones. They use a small amount of text to describe a whole mindset. This was truly beautiful, thank you for sharing this with us!

  38. Nico on November 26, 2022 at 11:31 AM

    This poem was amazing. I liked how you used imagery to allow yourself to help the audience visualize exactly what you were saying. The ending was powerful, as self-forgiveness is something many struggles with. The fight against ourselves is the biggest one of all. Thank you so much for sharing!

  39. Andrew on November 27, 2022 at 9:08 PM

    I love the analogy of our past to a wall. The descriptive nature highlights how we put our past behind us, but it’s only temporary, similar to how we paint over old pieces on a wall but only a temporary solution.

  40. Alexis on December 4, 2022 at 8:14 PM

    TT, your poem is very emotional, and truly conveys the pain from your past mistakes that still affects you today. Throughout your writing I see you are reminded every day, I can not imagine carrying that burden on your shoulders. I think the part where you had mentioned patching up a hole in the wall and having the white spot as a reminder expresses a lot of things. It shows how even through change and overcoming, the past still finds its ways to show in our minds. You then mention how you asked people if the spot bothered them and they said “we see nothing wrong”. Which represents how people do not look at other people and know what they have done wrong without knowing their stories. You finish your poem with “maybe it’s time to forgive myself.” I also believe it is time for you to forgive yourself, we cannot change the past as tough as that is, it only matters who you are currently and who you’re working towards being. Bad people do not look back and reflect with regret. The regret you have shows me you have good intentions in this lifetime, even if at a time you did not.

  41. Kayla M on December 5, 2022 at 5:38 PM

    I love how this poem paints a picture in my head, I can see exactly what your describing. I can kind of understand where your coming from though, I’ve made mistakes, even some big ones, and I still can’t forgive myself. It’s hard to forgive yourself because you feel the amount guilt, but also if everyone around you sees that nothing is wrong with you then it may be time time to forgive yourself. Sometimes I remind myself that if I was really a bad person for these mistakes then people wouldn’t be my friend. Also at the end of the day they’re mistakes, you already did the act, but after the fact you see what you did wrong and you better yourself. Forgiving yourself is a long journey, but once you get there its worth it.

  42. Allison R. on December 30, 2022 at 9:05 PM

    This is an awesome poem that was beautifully written. You do a great job telling your story through imagery. I love how you mention how others ignore the patch, yet it still bothers you showing that sometimes we take our own mistakes harder on ourselves than we should. I know I usually do. I do question though, could the patch be a metaphor for something deeper such as a figurative hole in yourself that you have patched up and are getting past? I think that this is such a great poem and is one of my favorites. Please continue to write. Your work is truly amazing!

  43. Oshane on February 5, 2023 at 2:34 PM

    Hi TT,

    I like your poem because it talks about how important it is to forgive. It shows that everyone makes mistakes, but that we can learn from them and move on. Even if we hurt someone, we can still find a way to forgive ourselves and move on. I like when you mentioned about the white spot on the old wall as it is symbolic of the damage that was done, but it is also a reminder that we can learn from our mistakes and move on.

  44. Jianna on February 6, 2023 at 2:46 PM

    This is a beautiful poem. Forgiveness is difficult, especially when you have to forgive yourself. You encompass the feeling of regret and facing the heavy weight that comes along with coming to terms with such an intense emotion perfectly. Thank you for sharing your work with us!

  45. Grace F. on February 27, 2023 at 7:12 PM

    TT,
    I relate to this poem really hard. When you’re doing work on yourself to try to become a better person, sometimes it’s hard to let that old part go. We see it come out from time to time, but the new people in our life aren’t familiar with it, so they don’t know. Sometimes it’s really hard to forgive yourself.

  46. Matthew Handley on March 5, 2023 at 10:37 PM

    This poem is really beautiful and powerful in its message about how we hold onto our regret and let it take over our perspective in life. Even when the physical world is patched, we still can feel that hole in our hearts and it can stick out like a sore thumb. And yes, when others look at the patched hole in the wall they don’t see the pain, frustration, and anger that went into the creation of that whole. But it is also okay to forgive and move in life. I really love how you dig into that idea about how other people can’t see the pain we go through. Overall, this is a beautiful poem. Thank you for sharing it!

  47. PH on March 22, 2023 at 7:37 PM

    We want to fix our holes and mistakes. We are fixing the biggest mistakes and painful mistakes that we have brought upon ourselves. I wish that our life was like an eraser where you could just undo your mistakes like whiteout. At least a full moon at night means that it’s complete and ready. Yeah, we can be too hard on ourselves and not see or think clearly because of it. We make something more important than it has to be.

  48. Grace on April 4, 2023 at 10:03 PM

    Hi there!
    I really liked reading this poem and I think that it highlighted some important messages. When I read the first few lines about patching up holes in old drywall and sanding down all that lies rough, I immediately equated it to a metaphor for sweeping old memories or incidents under the rug and starting over. As I read further, I realized that this was not a story of someone trying to ignore an elephant in the room, but it was a story of someone judging themselves relentlessly despite others telling them that everything was okay. The messages I felt were depicted from this were that the mistakes we make throughout life, do not define us and we have to remember that sometimes we are our own worst enemy, and the second was that it is okay to start over and start fresh, but in order to do that, we must address our feelings so that we do not suffer in silence. We have to do this in order to achieve self-forgiveness in order to move forward. I think we all in life, harp on mistakes that we have made, and we fear that the person we once were, is the person that we will always be seen as even if that isn’t the case. This poem was inspiring because I think it will remind people to forgive themselves and remind them that not everyone sees them the way they see themselves. Thank you for sharing. I wish you well.

  49. Jazmyne on April 5, 2023 at 6:51 PM

    This poem speaks volumes about the healing process. How at one point we have a hole in the wall and either growth, peace, or help patch that hole for us. However, we are never truly perfect. The old hole with never be perfectly patched. The new drywall as you put it will never be perfectly patched. I absolutely loved this poem. Keep writing!

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