When I’m told to imagine
my vanity kills my creativity
When people look serious out of the blue
I try hard to bury my smile
When I’m told to listen closely
only my ears are really there
When they remind me that I have the power to destroy
my arms can only hug
When they say my existence means nothing
do they ever realise we’re partners in crime?
When affection is shoved down my throat
loneliness doesn’t seem so bad
When they tell me I’m late again
I wish they hadn’t bothered waiting
When they ask me “How are you?”
I never believe that’s really what they’d like to know
When they tell me to grow up
it’s like they’re suggesting I give up
When they keep telling me it’s not worth it
suddenly I want to make it so
When I think I’m unique
it’s next to remember that so does everyone else
When people talk about the value of life
cockroaches and livestock spring to mind
When they tell me I’m a good person
it’s as if they’re meaning to put me down
When they insist I am selfish
…what a funny thing to say
When I know it’s time to cry
knowing keeps my eyelids dry
When I leave a woman’s embrace
my hands can smell how I feel
When the impossible looks possible
the possible becomes trivial
When the possible looks trivial
the trivial becomes impossible
When all the world’s a stage
how does one get over stage fright?
When mind becomes self-conscious
that is when it drops un-conscious
When I think I’m going against the flow
a part of me pretends I’m going with it.
But when I’m not minding my own reflection
the sound of water says what I think.
