Deserve
In the beginning,
When everything tasted
And smelled
And simply was
Too sweet,
I thought I deserved
Nothing.
I thought I deserved
To conform to what was given
Because words were outdated
And my humor was just too
Boring.
I thought I deserved
The insults that people whispered,
Because my weight
And my hair were just too
Big.
I thought I deserved
To be alone with myself
Because my friends
And their smiles never
Stayed.
But as I grew older,
And met my breed of person,
Who enjoyed books
And weirdness
And me,
I formed friendships
That took me in whole,
Complimented my hair’s curls,
And even laughed at
My jokes.
They taught me what I deserved.
They taught me who I could be.
And so a butterfly frees from her cocoon.
I learned that I was good enough
To be loved.
I always thought I deserved
To be second place,
That silver would always be first,
But hand-in-hand, I reach
Gold, and in turn, I learn
This is what we
Deserve.