I was raised on a thought

A tiny seed

Planted in a sea of rot

_It was that if you took up too much space_

_You’d be a disgrace_

And so I grew up

Raised on that thought

I cross my arms to hide my stomach

Because I’m nervous that they’ll spite it

And when I walk past a man

I cover my chest with my hands

And every day of my life

I see everything in black and white

And do you know what I’ve learned?

That you can’t be a swan

In a sea of ducks

And you can’t allow yourself to feel pride

When you get the question right

And you can’t laugh too loud

Or they’ll think you’re a clown

And you can’t speak your mind

Because you just waste their time

But when I’m all alone

I let myself go

I let myself see

The gray in this world

The in between

The flowers that gleam

Not in the glow of the sun

But in the shine of their own light

And although I was raised on this

You don’t need to embrace any of this

It’s alright to have a stomach

And it’s alright to eat food

And it’s alright to walk across the street

Without believing you’re prey

And when you get that question right

You can smile, okay?

Because it’s not all black and white

And no matter what seed they may plant

Nothing can take away

The good in you

So let our ink

_Drip_

_Drip_

_Drip_

Until it splits these words

That everyone makes stick

Because you are allowed to be yourself

And you don’t need that reassurance

From anyone else

Do not fear the unknown

Because it is simply

A utopia that no one

Has had the courage

To explore