Over the years I’ve learned
How to be a human
I learned to laugh at jokes I didn't get
I learned not to talk for too long
Especially about things I liked
I learned not to admit
That Frozen was my favorite movie
Peg+Cat my favorite TV show
And my little sister my best friend
I learned not to jump in on other people’s conversations
I learned not to show that I was smart
I learned not to correct other people
I learned not to say that I was good at something
(Even if I was)
I learned never to raise my hand in class
And most of all I learned
That when people say to be yourself
They never really mean it
Especially when “yourself” is me
How to be a human
I learned to laugh at jokes I didn't get
I learned not to talk for too long
Especially about things I liked
I learned not to admit
That Frozen was my favorite movie
Peg+Cat my favorite TV show
And my little sister my best friend
I learned not to jump in on other people’s conversations
I learned not to show that I was smart
I learned not to correct other people
I learned not to say that I was good at something
(Even if I was)
I learned never to raise my hand in class
And most of all I learned
That when people say to be yourself
They never really mean it
Especially when “yourself” is me
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elise.writer
Sep 05, 2022
Wow! I can relate to the struggle to be myself and have experience with that phrase too; I absolutely love the examples of social constructs and constrictions that society quietly enforces nowadays. Thank you for this amazing poem! (Frozen is a great movie; I loved it when I was 5 and not much has changed.) Keep writing! :):))
Elise Cournoyer