Allow Me to S(t)ay
I've always been "nerd"
Though it never bothered me
It felt like it should
And shouldn't be seen.
I've always been "nerd"
But I'd hide behind glass
I'd hide behind books
At the back of the class.
But once I found rhythm
And the power of words
I'd form them in lines
A different sort of nerd.
Then there was change
I had to speak up
No one cared about poems
Except to disrupt.
I should've been heard
But I stayed to the side
And figured out how
To hide in plain sight.
If I make people notice
All the wrong things
They'll keep me around
The caged bird sings.
So I'd try to be funny
I'd go out of my way
I'd hope you'd all laugh
And allow me to stay.
I've always been "nerd"
Though it never bothered me
And rightly it shouldn't've
What else could I be?