Standing Above the Crowd

I.


I stand alone in the world,
Shouting over the turmoil of an enormous crowd.
Lifted up on a pedestal.

Did I do that?
Did I put the soapbox underneath my feet?
Or was I lifted here by some purpose,
Light or dark,
Some shadowed god
With a message
A song that needs to be sung
A story that needs to be written.

I am a writer!
God, I am a writer.
I am a writer!
A WRITER.
Not an author,
Not a poet,
But a writer
Pure—
And simple.


II.


No one believes it any more,
No one listens when you try to prove
That you have fingertips glistening with magic,
With gold!
Fingertips that hold passion,
And sincerity,
Wisdom,
And pride.
My fingertips hold the world,
They hold truth.

TRUTH!
Which is what you lack, you know,
You lack truth.


III.


I’m standing above the crowd,
And I’m screaming
I’m screaming.
“Not a one of you can judge me!
None of you are in my league
None of you can touch me now!
None of you dares to touch me now.”

Though you did once,
Desperate hands pulled me down
Good people do bad things,
And this was the worst thing,
That you’ve ever done,
You good people.

You covered my mouth with your hands,
Your warm, sweaty hands.
You tore the eyes from my head,
You spat in the empty sockets that were left
You tore at my ears,
You stuck bamboo shards into them until I bled.
And then…
You broke my hands.

You broke my hands.

Were you happy then?


IV.


And then it took me a while to heal,
Oh, god, yes it did,
Through a near two years of pure torture,
But I healed.

My fingers still ache,
Lord, yes they do,
But you didn’t understand then
And you don’t understand now,
That I was put on that box for a reason,
That I am above you for a reason
That I scream at you for a reason

And a damn good one.

Though you may have struck me once,
Rendered me blind, and deaf,
Mute and crippled,
I have found a way to survive.
I have found a way to thrive.
And I will.

I will,
Even if you don’t want me to.
Even if you look at the gold in my hands,
And find it farse.
Even if you laugh in my face,
And call me a damn coward, and a damn fool,
I will conquer you.

I have fought you once,
And I will fight you again,
And this time,
you will be the one that is left bleeding.