One cannot fathom

The feelings of worthlessness

Not fully

Not the way the poor bit of rice at the bottom of the bowl does

 

No one wants it

It is brilliant in its own right

But too inconvenient

Too unnecessary

A necessary refusal

Far better is efficiency

More than that awkward bit of rice at the bottom of the bowl

 

It looks on at its brethren

They are eaten with pleasure

They fulfill their destiny

Yet this little bit

It is not accepted with its brothers

The lonely bit of rice at the bottom of the bowl

 

Yet it is my fear

That is who I have become

It is who I am

For you are what you eat

And I eat the bit of rice at the bottom of the bowl

 

But perhaps it isn’t all bad

For this odd little portion

It survives the feast

It lives another day

It continues to have a future

The potential of this bit of rice at the bottom of the bowl

 

So although not realized

Although not right now

Soon it and I will be as one

Because we live another day

We continue to have a future

I do

Like the aspiring bit of rice at the bottom of the bowl