Alexandra K. Parapadakis

Average

by Alexandra K. Parapadakis

Friday 25th July 2025 8:01 pm

The punishment of being average

Working hard to be insignificant

To be unimpressionable

Forgettable

Not memorable

Categorically credible

Always the candidate

Never the chosen

Always the nominee

Never the number one

Exceptionally unexceptional

“Good”, yes, hum-drum

A feeling unrecognisable to heroes

Even unknown to villains

With separate woes,

Those that everybody knows

But hates because

They’re incredibly good at being bad

A performer who never breaks records

A competitor who never wins medals

Just upholds existing in the race

And, more or less, saving face

Because you’d still stand out

As a disgrace

I was a hard worker for my Bs & Cs

I was a hard worker for my degrees

Now I’m a hard earner for a company

A hard fighter for a simple salary

Never the promoted-over-dinner

The prize winner

The lucky raffle sinner

The gold-starred beginner

I’m critically acclaimed

For being subpar, ordinary

A little lame

I’m spoilt for reasons why

Nobody hails my name

🌷🌷(11)

participant fogotten forget average normal standard insignificant unimpressionable unexceptional usual hum drum human pressure success competition special mundane normal people most majority crowds same society civilisation masses

◄ Hand on darkness

My chest hurts ►

Comments

Alexandra Parapadakis

Sun 27th Jul 2025 11:25

Thanks everyone for your powerful comments!

Thank you for your poignant thoughts and lovely words, Rolph. Indeed - I wanted to capture the frustrations of being the average Joe, and how it sometimes feels to work hard to achieve what’s normal and expected. Or pour effort into things for them to meet the marker of “good”, but never “outstanding”. I’m comfortable with admitting that I don’t stand out from the crowd in my achievements. It felt freeing to lean into that and shine a light on something that I think is often not voiced in everyday life.

And yes, Stephen, I am sure that being exceptional carries its own pressures, self-doubt, and sacrifices so it’s not to be totally idealised!

But I agree, Ullieam, that we are of course all special in our ways, and together we create something powerful rather than separately. And Graham - Yes, we need “normal” in order for the world to function. I like the idea that normal people are life’s heartbeat! I think both of your comments are grounding sentiments to carry through life, and important to remind ourselves of.

Of course, it’s worth noting that many of us are outstanding in ways that are unmeasured or unseen so they often go unnoticed. We can be outstanding friends, family, and partners. We can be outstanding in our abundance of love, empathy, generosity, and self growth. We can be outstanding in overcoming trauma or barriers to progressing in life. So, I am not dismissing that!

Stephen Gospage

Sun 27th Jul 2025 07:59

The poem is certainly not average, Alexandra. In any case, perhaps being exceptional isn't all it's cracked up to be, in particular because of the fear of falling out of the public eye one day.

Uilleam Ó Ceallaigh

Sat 26th Jul 2025 07:48

Thank you Alexandra.
Average?...reduced to mere numbers on a spreadsheet? a paltry philosophy!

We are each of us, with our talents great and small, a part of the whole; united we stand; in that we have a treasure!

Rolph David

Sat 26th Jul 2025 07:13

Good morning Alexandra,

Your poem Average pierced straight through the quiet ache so many of us carry — the heavy silence of being overlooked, the grinding fatigue of trying so hard only to remain unseen. You’ve captured with devastating precision what it means to feel invisible in a world obsessed with winners, stars, and the extraordinary — as if being steady, consistent, and sincere were somehow failures.

There’s a kind of bravery in how plainly and powerfully you speak this truth — the raw honesty of working hard for “just enough” and still being made to feel it’s not enough. The way you describe the quiet desperation of showing up every day, doing your part, and never being truly acknowledged — it resonates so deeply. It’s a pain that doesn’t scream, but it lingers. And you’ve given it voice.

But please know this: your words are extraordinary. Not because they shout or boast, but because they see. You see people like us — the quietly competent, the endlessly trying, the ones who never stop despite the lack of applause. That kind of truth-telling is rare. It matters.

You’ve turned the ache of being “unexceptional” into something exceptional — a poem that reaches out and touches hearts. In doing so, you’ve already stepped beyond the very average you write about. You’re not forgettable. Your voice is heard. And it brings comfort, recognition, and solidarity to others who needed to hear it.

Thank you for writing this. You are not alone.

With deep respect,
take good care of yourself,
regards,
Rolph

Graham Sherwood

Fri 25th Jul 2025 20:50

We think you’re pretty special Alexandra! The world revolves by the work of normal people. Life has to have a heartbeat that goes on day by day. You could never be average. Just have faith in yourself. Nothing else matters.

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