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​what happened? (then and now)

Aissa bocoum, january 2026

What happened before?
What changed?
Am I the same as I was before?
Am I different?
Well, yes and no. 
Many things changed, but many things stayed the same.
I am the past and present
Carried the memories of both 
I am what was and will be of me 
My history is part of me.
What happened to the angry kid before? 
Who punches walls and stomps her feet?
Who turns into one who doesn't express anger?
One who bottles up her emotions.
What happened to the carefree child
To one who worries so much of the world
What happened to the girl who wonders what other people think of her
To one who doesn't care what they think of her for
the most part.
What happened to the naïve girl 
who thought life was sunshines and rainbows
That girl grew up and realized the world is much more dangerous.
What happened to her dreams?
Her dreams were crushed.
What happened to the girl who thought herself as special?
She learned she was the same as everyone else, nothing special.
What happened to the artist in her?
Her artist grew more and improved.
What happened to the imaginations for the girl the contain princesses and fairies?
Her imagination became her muse for art.
What happened to the overly sensitive girl before?
Shes still sensitive but not as much as before.
What happened to the girl who wanted to be the smartest one around?
She learned theres someone always on top.
What happened to the girl who couldn’t catch?
She still can’t.
What happened to the girl’s day that were filled with laughter and smiles?
To one filled with stares and whispers.
What happened to the girl who shied away from her African identity?
To the one who accepts it and isn't ashamed anymore.
A girl who remembered all the words in her native language
To one who knows some words and understand but the rest gone.
What happened to the girl who would fight with her brother?
To one who will argue or ignore him. 
Sometimes I wish to be younger but at the same time to be older
Who knows where we will be in the future 
Some may change a bit and others may grow to be a new person
Were humans after all, change is what occur
Will we change for better or for worse, thats the question?

AISSA BOCOUM

Picture

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  • Home
    • LGBTQ+ Resources
    • Student Businesses
  • Meet Us
    • Socials >
      • Google Forms
  • This Month
    • BALM Radio >
      • September 2025
      • October 2025
      • November 2025
    • Op-Eds >
      • Know Your Rights: What To Do Around Ice
      • The Words That Changed My Life: Part One
      • Police & Black Americans—The Battle for Civil Rights
      • White Hair Braiders
      • Ignorance is bliss, and open ignorance causes blisters
    • CREATIVE WRITING >
      • Tired Peppermints
      • Where I found Red Snow
      • my love is not unconditional.
      • What Happened? (Then and Now)
      • Popular (Wicked)
      • The Epitome of the Expression of Form
      • Approval
      • The Dust Under My Bed
      • Hate This And I Love You
    • Artist Corner >
      • Dog.
      • When you have a bat, everything looks like a ball.
      • Deathbott Character Art
    • Media Reviews >
      • “Carpe Diem, Seize The Day.” - A Media Review On Dead Poets Society
      • Welcome to Derry: Season 1
      • Sweet Home: Season One
      • The World Is Wonderfully Wicked
      • They Could've Made Anything, but They Chose This Book
      • The Amazing Digital Circus
      • Get Out: A Staple in Horror After Nearly a Decade
    • Sports Panel >
      • Boys Swim: Senior Highlight
      • Girls Swim: Senior Highlight
      • Girls Basketball: Senior Highlight
  • Featured Article
    • The Concept of One Individual
    • Know Your Rights: What To Do Around Ice
  • Teacher's Corner
    • Teachers Corner: DeVaul
    • Teachers Corner: Ejzak: How to Combat chatGPT? Embrace the Same Anti-Authoritarian Teaching Practices We Should’ve Been Doing All Along
    • Teacher's Corner: Mr. Hazzard's Love Letter To Brooks
    • Teacher's Corner: Gordon
    • Teacher's Corner: Wilde
    • Teacher's Corner: David
    • Teacher's Corner: Ejzak
    • Teacher's Corner: Rago
  • Archive
    • 9.25 >
      • Two
      • Young and Pretty
      • Chimeras: Growing Up in Majority-White and Majority-Black Schools
      • My Favorite Color Used To Be Pink
      • Good Mother
      • Cancel the Mouse: Why New Disney Sucks
      • Is Hope the New Punk Rock?: Superman Movie Review
    • 10.25 >
      • Ignorance Is PURE Bliss
      • The Subjectivity of Creativity: How Wrongful Interpretation is Dangerous
      • Petty Games
      • If You're So Wise, Why Do You Come Off So Passionless?
      • How Animal Farm by George Orwell Still Speaks Today
      • How To Train Your Hyper-Realistic Live Action Reboot
      • Absense of August
      • Art fight Collection
    • 11.25 >
      • The Overconsumption Cycle
      • My Experience Being Painfully Insecure.
      • An Age-Old Question
      • They Hate Us Cause They Ain't Us
      • Transgressions Against the Father
      • Watership Down
      • The Black Phone 2: More is Less
      • How Fish Became Gods