I’m not defined by what you think I am
I won’t fall into your predetermined plan
-Art of Dying, “You Don’t Know Me”
In the eyes of the world, I am the unseen,
A ghost among the living.
Walking the streets in my camouflage skin,
Nameless, faceless, voiceless, nothing.
Most of the time I don’t mind,
I prefer the shadows to the spotlight.
But sometimes it feels like an endless struggle
Just to prove to the world that I’m still alive.
Because the world judges in an instant
Tries to stuff all of me in a little box
How can anyone possibly see truth
After such a passing throwaway glance?
And how does that old saying go?
Nice guys finish last?
I don’t think that’s quite accurate
It’s always the quiet ones…
I’ve never felt comfortable throwing cheesy pickup lines at strangers
I’ve never felt the need to show off my intelligence with pointless chatter
I’ve never desired to prove physical strength with violence
And I will never fit into anyone’s little instant judgment box
But these traits I consider my greatest strengths as a human being
In this world I fear they are the cause of my undoing.
I never did like popularity contests.
Shy is not the same as cold or disinterested.
Quiet is not the same as incapable.
But these difference can’t be seen by those unwilling
To open their eyes.
Don’t get me wrong,
I do not hate.
The sky is still blue,
The sun still shines,
There are those out there capable of sight.
A handful I’ve met who do not look with judgment
Who see, understand, accept.
And for those few I am eternally grateful
These providers of light when the world gets dark
For often that’s all it takes, to remember
I am not invisible
I am not just shadow
I
Am
Alive
