I Am Not You

It speaks for itself.

I am not you.

I don’t speak like you

I don’t look like you

I don’t write like you

I am not you

 

I speak the vernacular of my heritage

Some words are high, some are low

I pronounce each syllable,

Just as my ancestors formulated them

I speak in tongues you may not comprehend

But it is a tongue that can be learned

It is a tongue that is very well known

 

I am not you.

I don’t speak like you

I don’t look like you

I don’t write like you

I am not you

 

I was born with the shade of my forefathers

I was born with the eyes of my wise grandmother

I was born tall, short, round, and thin

I was born into a family unlike yours

 

I am not you.

I don’t speak like you

I don’t look like you

I don’t write like you

I am not you

 

I write with a purpose that most understand

Oops forgive my ignorance; did I just flip flop these words?

I don’t adhere to your strict doctrine,

Or your proposed pronunciation

I cannot recreate your specified equation

What I see, what I feel

Is entirely unique to me

So how can I write the way that you say?

When I swear E comes before I, even when I C, that is not wise.

 

I am not you.

I don’t speak like you

I don’t look like you

I don’t write like you

I am not you

 

So slander me if you must,

It’ll never change me

What you see as a grievance

Another sees as an achievement

 

I am not you

Nor do I wish to be

 

Reviews

[mariah]

hey great job! i love the flow of this poem and how it speaks about being independant and proudly standing out. thanks for writting this :)