Label Myself
Kieu Duyen Tran

Paint me for what you think I am,
Never mind that I'm part of man.

Cut me with contentment as you so seem,
Is it gratifying as watching a stream?

You made me consumed to these lies you brewed,
Is reality too much of a battle for you?
Isn't it enough for you to tell
That this was never a fairytale?

Carve my body with faults and words,
As you do with others you herd.
Tell me I'm all the same,
As all the others you've named.
Tell me I'm all ordinary,
As all the others claimed.

Give me labels like I'm soup,
Never reading ingredients for their scoop.

Call me what you will or as you foresee,
But remember this in memory:
If you saw me for who I am,
There would be more than you planned.

You think I'm quiet, shy, and smart
Is that the extent of your faulting darts?
Is your vocabulary so small that it can't update
To one that would be more inflate?

Tell her she's religious and scary
Do you think you know her barely?
You assume she's smart because of her looks,
Do you ever think she's more than just books?

You think that he's heartless because he wears black,
Would you believe he's nice and won't attack?
You think you're so full of greatness,
When all you're full of is lowliness.
When will you grow up and realize the truth?
That a person isn't a can of soup?

I'd never give you the time of day
If all you do is blab away.
Don't give me your page of trashy fables
If all I hear are the same damn labels.