Disclaimer: Don't own Teen Titans
Titans Tower, a View From the Outside
Robin sat in his office, it was early Sunday morning, and he knew few if any of the titans were awake. Normally Raven would be meditating in her room but she'd had a bad night so even she slept and if she wasn't up until late he wouldn't worry. He turned the page in the Sunday paper and his eyes landed on a block of strangely formatted text that he identified as a poem. It was cited that a high school senior had written the piece.
"Titans Tower, a View From the Outside" was the title and Robin couldn't tear his eyes away
We all see it
the massive T over on the bay.
We all know the names of those inside
but do we really know them?
Robin, Cyborg, Raven, Starfire, Beast Boy
we know their public images
but who are they really?
When the tower doors close
behind them
who do they become?
Robin, he leads with skill far beyond his age
he knows them all so well
each member
their strengths
Weaknesses
who can best work with whom
He came out of the shadow of the bat wise beyond his years
so when he develops a plan
they listen
because he has done the work
to earn their trust
their loyalty.
He has also learned when to concede control
when one of the others is better equipped
to lead a mission.
But who is he when the doors close?
We don't know.
Then there is Cyborg
by all accounts
Robin's right hand man.
A loud, confident mix of
man and machine.
Who is he
when the battle is over.
Those that met him say he is kind,
personable and charming.
Though who knows who he is
when only his teammates are around to see.
What did those wonder cybernetics
and the unique look they make
cost him in friends
loved ones?
Among the team two girls work hard to show
heroics isn't just a
boys club.
Starfire
the alien powerhouse
built like any teen boy's fantasy
tall, lean
long red hair that people would pay a fortune for.
What is she like
when she is at home.
Her exuberance
is that genuinely who she is
or is it a front
to hide a vulnerability that she wants no one to see.
A longing to return to
a home world that she may
never see again?
That, for all we know, may
not even still exist anymore.
Raven
a powerful enigma in her own right
many claim they know who
she really is but with one so
introverted
how can you really know?
Smaller than her only female counterpart
she is as powerful as any of them
proving size is no indicator of what one
can do.
What does she hide under that hood.
Beautiful, mysterious
people wonder why she keeps
so much to herself.
Cold, they call her
Unfeeling
Creepy
But is she really?
Guarded?
Absolutely, the question is why?
Why would one so young
Feel the need to guard herself so fiercely?
How much pain has she endured to make her this way?
From the outside we try to understand her
but it's like looking at a puzzle with important pieces missing
it looks beautiful but
there is no way to really know
what you are seeing.
Beast Boy,
oh boy
loud and exuberant
like the class clown trying his best to keep up morale.
Why does he do it?
Is he genuinely that much of a comedian or
is the comedy a front to hide his
inner pain?
Traumas from a past we do not know
and likely never will?
People think they know
The answers to these questions
But there is no way they could really know
The teen titans
when all we have is
A view from the outside.
Robin looked at the page in shock. A teenager not much older than him had created this masterpiece. They seemed so enamored with them, but they admitted that they didn't know them. They understood that their public faces hid a good bit that nobody knew. Particularly their focus on Raven. Seeing her public face and understanding one will not see the whole image of her was said masterfully with the puzzle metaphor.
Robin was surprised when he heard his door open. He turned to see Raven standing there.
"Can I see that when you're finished?" she asked.
"Yeah, hey… look at this" he said handing her the page with the poem. "A student from Jump City High School wrote that about us, apparently won a prize for it too."
Raven took the page and began to read as Robin watched her expression for any clue as to her thoughts. Then she got to the paragraph about her and looked at him.
"I can't believe it… someone actually gets it…"
"Yeah, they seem to have an understanding of things."
She finished and set the page aside and they silently agreed they needed to find this student so they could tell him or her in person how well they got them.
The End