you can hold my head under the water
you can tell me i don't belong
you can throw snakes and stones at me
you can tell me everything i do is wrong

but the longer your hand
glued to my head 
stays underwater, the
more slippery it becomes and the 
more air i can force
into my lungs. 

the water will part
and surround me 
at once.
it is part of me
and you will never hold 
the title that i hold
that allows me to 
b r  e   a    t     h      e 
while you gasp at your sore arms.

you can hold my head under the water.
i will always belong
the snakes have no more venom; stones can't dent my armor
every bad thing you say about me is wrong