I've walked through these halls countless times before now, yet why can't I feel safe?
I've been here a thousand times before, yet why do I still feel like running away?

The answer is clear every time I look in the mirror each morning.

I'm different.

My skin, my hair
All different.
My eyes look like my pupils melted into my iris.
My face is called exotic.
My height is considered above average even though I stand in the middle when we line up by sizes.

People say I should get over it.
"You're different, but you've always been."
"You should be used to it."

I get it.

No, really, I do.

And I'm really tired of being taken care of by you.

I am almost an adult.
I could walk by myself since I was about 2 years old.
And I never needed someone to point out the obvious to me.

My eyes may be small and squinty but I can see fine.
My hair is straight and black and that's alright.
My skin has an undertone of yellow.
My tongue speaks more languages than you can handle.
Did you want that in English or Mandarin?
Cause I don't speak the ethnicity of Chinese.

Yeah, and call me Chinese and Chink while you can
Because sooner or later, you'll be my biggest fan
Cheering me on while I'm singing my song for the whole world to hear.

I am different.

So what?
You can point that out for the rest of your life, but that seems like a waste of time.

I am different.

So what now?
The answer is simple.

Did you know music doesn't need actual words to communicate everything?
Did you know looks don't need to fit a certain look to show pain?
To show love?
To show happiness?

Because although we are all different, our smiles look the same.
So keep telling me about my looks,
Describe to me my face.

You can point out anything you want about me

But when I smile,

You've always smiled back just the same.