Hope I never forget
Holding on to this process
Black color, average shoes
And the act of refusing to fit in everyday
Hoping the little girls like me
Can believe that they never needed to
Learn glossing their lips right
Before knowing what’s a happy smile
The fight has been sacred
To keep myself alive on my terms
Knowing full well that I stand out
But thankfully not for painting facades
Or wearing costumes that don’t even fit me
For the world to momentarily amuse itself
With my perfections, with my imperfections
Only to belong? Was never worth it.
-Al