Poem: In School I Was Never

In School I Was Never

the cool kid, always
awkward, a klutz who
wore the wrong
clothes, listened
to the wrong music,
read the wrong books
(meaning any
that were not
for class), not
athletic, not part
of any clique
even an unpopular
one, but I tried
at times to fit
in with the crowd,
like the time
I dragged my parents
to every store looking
for those hot
new sneakers
everyone wanted,
trying to find a pair
that would fit
my extra wide
foot, and the joy
I had when, past
the point where
I should have given
up the hope they even
made my size, somehow
they materialized
in some sporting
goods store, shoes
I hoped would make
some impact, show
that I wasn't just
the weird, fat boy
who deserved all
that ridicule and rejection.

I wore them once,
left them in my gym
locker overnight
by mistake, found
by morning, they had
been stolen, was certain
whoever had taken
them did not need
those shoes or even
want them, but
took them only
to makes certain
I remembered
such things were
not for me.

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