I wrote this poem a few years ago while in the middle of a shaky but ultimately successful recovery from a rough period in my life. It might have been a little bit emo on my part, but I am sort of proud of how it turned out, especially since this was never something I did very often. So now that I found where I had it saved, I figure I could either put it away and forget about it again or offer it up for anyone who appreciates this type of thing. Critique it how you will.
I’d be your friend at a moment’s notice,
And it’d probably take you years to get close to me
I can be the life of the party
And I can be totally invisible,
Wryly pointing out to no one that you don’t know or care I’m right behind you
Am I anyone worth knowing?
I can stand against someone twice my size
I’ll fight to the death before I let you push me around
And I fear rubbing the most timid people I know the wrong way
Tripping over myself to stay out of their way when they didn’t ask
I loathe watching people see only their way, blind
I don’t always have it in me to call them wrong
I’m not always sure
I can be fun, breezy and cheerful,
And I can be off-putting and awkward,
Stumbling to find the words I meant to use
I’ll be a gentleman, who’s never done serious harm
I worry about what’s right,
And still I wonder if I deserve any respect at all,
Carrying the secrets I know I’ll never say aloud
I’d be the first one to tell you that pessimism is overrated
Why would anyone willingly carry such a weight?
I’ve had my share of humiliation
I’ve been the sad little boy on the verge of despair,
With a bloated bog of misery filling my head, leaving burns that heal slowly
I’m an insecure child who’d rather stay where I am and an impatient man eager to move forward
But I’m frozen, inside and out
Am I anyone worth knowing?
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