I am smart I am an athlete I’m a
contractor I am a lawyer I am a Salesman
I am a traveler I am a business
executive that’s not what I asked you
listen closely who are you I know it’s
hard to answer that and I think I know
why forget about the adjectives and
adverbs I could care less the salary you
make the debt you owe or the friends you
tally on whatever fabricated internet
platform you’re obsessed with who are
you and what makes you you see you’ve
been told since you can remember to
remember to find your place to think
about your passions the fashion you want
to be portrayed in and through all this
you’ve forgotten you’re a physical
original there’s no other you there
never has been and that remains true
you’re one of a kind that’s who you are
to be original is to follow your dream
on this pristine ideal theme of what it
means to be you to achieve that fire
which ignites when you open your heart
mind and soul to what it means to be you
so ask yourself in case you have
forgotten who you are what does it mean
to be you you’ve SAT waited and wished
for the days of blissful youth when you
were ignorant of the constructs of
society back before you knew your
beautiful unique fiery color palette
will be smudged and submerged like
Atlantis by the very community that
first handed you a canvas as kids we’re
told the key to a slow long burning warm
fire is a good foundation so society
gathers your rocks your dry birch
perfectly perched and a teepee around
you as they lay sticks and stones they
don’t break your bones but to him do
they hurt you
they confine you define you turn in a
circle and find that you are left with
fumes suffocating your creativity like
burning blazing bigotry so you’re stuck
in society’s normality their TP blindly
you inspect the inner walls looking for
touching for some kind of semblance some
kind of physical entity that you can
grip and say this is me eventually you
give up your quest looking for truth
inside the norm exiting the fire you
step out through that small hole between
this stick and that log over the burning
knowles of coals past the framework
rocks you stand up and take a gulp of
fresh air strolling away from the fire
you catch a glimpse over your right
shoulder like kellogg’s cereal you hear
that snap crackle pop turn and see
flames cutting through the night like a
barbershop and you realize that you’re
searching ends right where you started
off right where you began it had been in
front of you the whole time too blind to
even see it you see Society provides
waterproof matches with a backup Flint
stick the perfect prescription to build
an ideal fire with the best burn most
heat and flames growing higher but don’t
let society stand there and tell you how
to burn your dreams and desires what
matters is if you don’t like the way
things are done you do something about
it if someone stands in front of you and
tells you to act like this live like
this look like this then you stare them
straight in the eye and you say
respectfully I cannot comply because if
I wanted to be a cookie cutter well she
I would have opened a bakery fire
building is a wonderful lesson isn’t it
you learn to gather different sizes of
dry wood prepare your structure before
you light it and the perfect spot and
the coals for that gold and marshmallow
but who needs kindling when you can pour
gasoline on it and if you ever told
that’s not how it’s done but you want to
try it then please proceed because when
Robert Frost tells you to pick one prong
in his forked Road you turn
are straight to the force and bushwhack
your way off the beaten path to see that
we have been convinced normality is
superior to originality but it’s not you
are you you should not go your whole
life wishing to be original without
knowing that you are by breathing the
air you breathe thinking the thoughts
you think you are distinct and nobody
can take that from you so do not
function as an application checkbox do
not build your house in the bedrocks if
what you truly want is to live in the
sky do not let your race gender
education athleticism profession
intelligence or accent dictate who you
are we’re all mosaics aren’t we the
single pieces may cost pennies but the
finished masterpiece is priceless do not
let society define your role for sake of
ease because a boa constrictor cannot
bend your steel and the only homes you
walk into are those of people who
support the original you people who are
real CS Lewis lent us some wise words
about being uniquely you he said no one
who bothers about originality will ever
be original whereas if you simply try to
tell the truth you will become original
without ever having noticed it you have
entered the home of originality welcome
please come on in it’s nice to meet you who are you thank you