Do you ever feel like you don’t quite belong

In the body you call home?

I do.

 

At times, or rather most times,

I am so timid that I think I would be better suited

To a body as small and uninspiring as I am.

One that hides rather easily,

And one that can disappear quite effortlessly.

Instead, this tiny, quiet personality

Was stretched thin into a body much too big for it.

 

So I cower within, in a corner reserved for me,

Waiting to be found by the few who venture into the unknown,

Willing to search for me.

 

On occasion, I will blaze,

Singeing those nearby with passion I constantly hold,

Hidden in my soul,

But rarely allow to be freed.

But in the same manner as I emerged,

I retreat back to that hidden home,

Just as swiftly, unlikely to return

To the world of the fiery for another eternity.

 

I do not always understand

When people call me brave or admire me for my strength.

I do not always understand

When others feel the need to remind me of my value.

 

Because how can I be brave

When I cannot make myself reveal what truly lies within me in its entirety.

And how can I be strong

When I cannot force or teach myself how to fill my personality

Into every centimeter of the body I’ve been given,

But almost never accept as my own.

 

And how can I be valuable

When all we are taught in this corrupt society

Is that those who are extroverted should be held in high regard.

How can I be valuable

When those who draw attention to themselves

Are the only ones to which we respond.

 

And how can I be valuable

When spewing ideas in an endless flow

With no regard for what others have to say

Is seen as acceptable, and even expected, behavior.

How can I be valuable

When it is generally known as cowardice

To be someone who listens more than they talk,

Weighing information carefully, and only using words

With the full knowledge of what powerful tools they are.

 

And how could I possibly be valuable

When I am constantly told by everyone around me

In discreet ways, that I should be louder,

More assertive,

And more comfortable around large groups of people.

 

And I wonder,

If you are an observer,

A collector of information,

Only stepping into a situation and being aggressive

If you absolutely find it necessary,

Instead more content to hold the peace,

Unless an untruth is spoken

 

If you are sparse with your words,

Recognizing them as the precious commodity they are,

If you have heard,

And are hearing, being assailed with the same unfair ideals,

You likely know what it is to feel the way I do.

 

And it pains me to know

That so many of you, of us, often do not feel valuable.

That our worth is diminished in comparison,

Simply because of our personalities,

And the lies society bombards us with

On a daily basis.

 

But you should know that being calm and reserved

Makes you reliable.

You should know that being able to distinguish

When to speak, and when not to

Should be viewed as wisdom, and not a flaw.

 

And you should know, above all,

That you are made the way you are for a reason,

And you are just as important as anybody else.

Because society needs those who listen,

And those who see,

Like so many others do not.

 

Though we may not say much,

When we do, it is usually worth listening to.