Selfless or selfish

You are very right about your interpretation of those who pretend to be the toughest need more love and care.

Try the Italian version of this poem (for fun):

30 gennaio 2011

Altruistico o egoistico
buffo o serio
sensibile o insensibile
dotato o non dotato
talento o superficiale

umile o un tizzone
a sangue caldo o a sangue freddo
morbido o di pietra
preoccupare o crudele
passivo o aggressivo
appassionato o impassibile
il warmhearted o crudele

ciò che fa so
Sono appena un nessuno
qualcuno che ha preso bruciato
dal lato caldo
di quella lingua impetuosa
di un'anima altrimenti artistica

chi ha realmente un cuore morbido
ma finge di essere la roccia dura
tanto morbido quanto una steatite
quale può rompere facile
e tanto poroso quanto una pietra di pietra pomice
pieno di vede attraverso i fori

Let's see.

"and as porous as a pumice stone
full of see through holes"

Nice simile.

I liked how you started saying the opposite of each word to make an emphasis that anyone can be like each of those.. We don't know how some one really is until we take our time to get to know them.

Also what I got from reading this is that often times those who seem or pretend to be the toughest are in fact the one's that need more love.

Mandy: Thank you for your generous comments. Just a little correction, this poetry is not about myself, but someone wonderful who I met a year ago (see my profile), who misunderstood my character and herself. Her hidden blog revealed sadness and misadvetures which were very moving.

..."of an otherwise artistic soul
who really has a soft heart
but pretends to be rock hard
as soft as a soapstone
that can break easy
and as porous as a pumice stone
full of see through holes"

- I loved this. The way you describe yourself was moving, artistic and relatable to many. 5/5

A great write. What I got from it was that people always try to figure each other out, prying and examening, when we ourselves have many flaws.

mandy :)