Conform. Me? Never

Ya know …

I never want to conform

Because this whole time I’ve tried this “normality” thing

It has only caused me suffering

I am a star

And I always hated when my mom would tell me this is your time to shine

Because shining only existed within the comfort of her expectations

What I think a lot of people don’t understand

Is that the stars that shine so brightly in the night sky

Or at least out in the country

Are born out of explosions

So yes I will shine

I will get my feelings and ideas everywhere

I will get paint on my clothes

And wear them proudly

Also if I got rid of every shirt damaged by me being an artist, then I would be walking around naked

I will do what I think is right

I will say what needs to be said

Because I am a star

I will not apologize for my passion

I will always fight against oppression

I will not fucking delete my poems with curse words in them

Because people feel what I feel

I reach them through that

If you can’t tell by my art, clothing style, writing or whatever else

My favorite author growing up was Dr Seuss

And one of my favorite books of his was Horton Hears a Who

I said what I said and I said what I meant and elephants faithful 100%

I always resonated with that

Because he stood true to himself

And he fought for what he believed was right

The older I have gotten, the more I’ve realized that the creative adults who write the most beloved children’s books

Were writing from experience

They were writing from suffering and resilience

And I think that me remembering that is a true sign that creative people give others hope

And hope can never be censored out