I Am Me, I Am Not You

I had a dream that a bird flew to me and asked

“Why?

Why was I down on the ground,

not up in the sky?

The wind is cooler, the air crisp and cool;

Why do you walk in the dirt,

is there some special rule?”

I paused for a moment to stifle a giggle,

straightened my face out with a wiggle,

“No rule I’m aware of, dear bird of blue;

Simply because

I am Me, I am not You.

Birds are born to soar in the sky,

High above it all is where they fly.

I am a human arms and legs but no lovely wings,

These feet are how I move, these strange and ugly things.

I can run, I can walk or get a magpie tattoo,

But I will never feel the thrill of flight for

I am Me, I am not you.”

I walked a bit and came upon a laid back panda bear,

dining on his dinner, he glanced up with a stare.

He offered to share and when I refused he did worry,

“Why oh why won’t you dine with me?

Why won’t you share in my bountiful feast?

I am most civilized, even tempered; certainly no beast!”

I further explained,

“As I human I don’t eat bamboo,

Not even one, most certainly not two.

I eat chili and Fritos,

grilled cheese and Tostitos,

and also homemade breakfast burritos.

I don’t walk on all fours and I’m not covered in fur,

I hope you can see, I hope you concur.

I don’t mean to be difficult, that much is true,

But the truth is I am Me, I am not you.”

I woke up from the dream, fuzzy and slightly dazed,

acknowledging my subconscious certainly has its ways

of working through difficult times and trying days.

I know that a bit of that message made its way through

I do believe it’s true when I say,

I am me, I am not you.

But I also believe I have much to learn

Obstacles to overcome, rebuilding bridges I’ve burned.

I am me, but I’m learning more and I’m starting to see

There is light and love in others that surround me.

Even though we may be different,

we have a common ground

Our love for each other is what

makes this mad, mad world go round.

Keeping our eyes on the prize,

embracing our uniqueness

will keep us safe and away from

  that force that dissolves all strength and

leaves only weakness.