Poems To Strangers [ Bo Burnham ]

5- Self Love Is Survival

—CYRO'S POV—

I sit down anxiously in my usual seat at Utopia. Sliding the un opened letter out of my pocket and placed it in front of me on the table. I reach forward to open it but hesitantly pull my hand back. It was a letter from Free Writer Inc. The only company in L.A that isn't actually wanna write for. It's Los Angeles's most popular e-zine project.

Writing is one of my biggest passions, but I never pursued it cause I don't wanna end up being some journalist who has to write about some click baity celebrity story. I wanna write about the things I'm passionate about. Freedom Writers Inc. let's me do that. Every year they take on a handful of new artists and those artists go through a paid test period where they get to post content on the blog, and by the end of the month whichever three out of the 15 selected that has the most interaction on their stories get to stay as full time employees. This letter in front of me might change my life for good. Freedom Writers has 1.5 million Instagram followers 5.9 million TikTok followers 2.5 million YouTube followers and their reach per month from their actual e-zine is 1,000,000 to 2,000,000. The pay per month as a STARTER employee is 1000 dollars WEEKLY. It's literally one of the most impactful online outlets for young adult media in my generation.

"So are you gonna open it?" A sweet voice chirps from above my head. I look up to see the pink haired girl staring down at me she had bright blue eyes and and bird like nose she looked down at me with excitement splattered across her face. "I don't know" I reply look at her and then the letter and then back up at her. "Not to be nosy but if I'm not mistaken that's a letter from freedom writers? I fucking love freedom writers and if this is what I think it is you like need to open it. I heard there's actually a celebrity guest being added to the writers room as a coach this year!" The girl exclaimed. Freedom writer coaches are pretty much phenomenal social media artists that stay on team without having to compete with the 15 employees and contribute their own art as well as help inspire others and mentor them. "What if it says no." I speculated. Tracing the seam of the envelope with my finger tips. "Yeah but what if it says yes? How about this if it says yes then it says yes but if it says no... then free drinks for like a week or something! I'm not supposed to do that but it's not like the manager comes by anyways to really check the register." The girl persuade. I looked up at her once more and back down at the letter before closing my eyes and taking a deep breath in, holding it a second before releasing it and opening my eyes again. Then I pinched my shoulder the girl gave me a strange look in return "just making sure this isn't a dream." I say.

Slowly I pick the letter up tearing the seam open and pulling out the letter oh...my...god... my eyes began to water u shut them tightly tears falling out before re opening. Is this real?

Hello Cyro!, thank you so much for submitting your art into our new team members contest. We would like to congratulate you on moving to the next level. You have been approved as 1/15 of the newest contestants to be apart of our team! Thank you so much for submitting your art! We love it! Your first team meeting will be October 4th 2021 at 6:30 PM. 7323 Beverly Blvd Los Angeles, CA 4th floor. Congratulations again and we can't wait to meet you! — Quinta Brunson.

"What does it say?!" The girl asks in suspense "I- I made it I got in I... I really got in?!" I replied the girl hugged me tightly "oh my god this is fucking incredible!" Yelped the pink hair girl. "Thank you so much uh— what's your name?" I asked "It's Rosalie. Rosalie Crow. I don't know you but I'm so so proud of you! I can't wait to see what you plan on writing." Rosalie replied. "I... am still processing this I just—wow?" I chuckled. "Dude I know I said the free drinks were for if you lost but let me give you one just this once! A celebratory drink! Anything you want!"
"Could I get my usual? Iced matcha latte with whipped cream?"
"That's all you want?! You always get that! " She giggled
"What can I say? Tradition warms the soul I guess." I reply
" ooo that sounds so poet like! Look at you already making poetry off the clock! You'll be a permanent member in no time!" Rosalie gushed.
Poetry... wait I almost forgot!
Eagerly I dig my hand into the couch until I feel my hand hit upon a paper. I grab it with fingers and pull it out.

Hello stranger who thinks they're funnier than me but isn't.
So I see like me your life is probably in shambles so you come to this cafe every day hoping for some sense of serenity. There is a slim but very real possibility I'm self projecting though. Also I'm convinced you actually did pee on the paper and the whole soup thing was for sure just a cover up. REALLY pissing on foreign objects?? During a pandemic???? Also you smoke weed? Interesting. The police will be getting informed. Talking to you almost feels like I'm talking to myself strangely enough. Like a less funny probably less hot and cool version of me who is horrible at flirting ( we have that one in common actually) but the thing you said about self love. I am not a stoner delinquent like you so I will start off the poetry this time.

Self love is
A pine trees first autumn.
A bittersweet ache with no direction
As you and everything around you begins to change.
Crumbling up and wilting away
Dying with the season
As winter rolls in
and grasps the ground by its neck.
Everything dies.
Except you.
Cause you just grew in a different way.
So you make love to solitude
Till spring comes
to breathe life
back into the seasons again.
Loneliness is vulnerability
Vulnerability is human
Human is self
Self love
Is kissing loneliness on its lips.
And looking it right in its eyes and telling it
I'm not scared to love you
And really meaning it.
-B

Wow that was actually fucking beautiful, I feel my heart flutter in my chest the feeling of excitement permeating for my body. Life just got better all of a sudden. It's so scary how things can get so good and get so bad at the most random times. It's like I'm in some badly but intriguingly written rom com or something?! I giggle to myself. "Here you go" says Rosalie before swiftly turning around and heading outside I assume to have a cigarette.

Hello strange person who thinks they're sexier than me but isn't. First if you're a cop caller? Wow! Pussy. (No but I hope you aren't actually a cop caller cause um... fuck them blue lives) today the paper might smell like cigs again cuz I kind of ran out of weed and could barely cope with my anxiety today cause I was super scared to find out the truth about something. The truth was revealed though an I'm excited for the future. For once things look bright, but also bright is scary. Bright is a risk. Risks are for survivalists. I think that's what self love is.

Self love is
Survival.
Self love is
That feeling in your chest
When your anxiety's at it's worst
When you feel like you're gonna die.
And you decide that you want to live.
Self love is that little fire inside you
That keeps going.
Self love is the heart still beating
When the world
gives it a million reasons
to stop.
Self love is getting up
and doing just enough,
To wake up again the next day.
Sometimes self love is survival.
So that you can get to a point
Where life is more than just surviving
And that's what I'm doing
Today I'm surviving
So that tomorrow
I can live
-C