Fear Me

With unmanageable hair

Streaked with orange and

Crawling eyeliner I'm

Callous on the irises. I'm

Falling down the scale of

Social acceptance. I'm

Under pressure to speak

Struggling to keep my head above the

Surface of cruel jokes and

Sharp rumors

That tear asunder the membrane of

My well-worn walls of so many years now

Dread me

The one who

Is not like you

The one who

Will never believe you

The one who isn't blinded by

The stepladder between us

The one who isn't alarmed of the

Edge of the roof you are so

Apt to fall off of

While I am down here

Safe on grass that smells sweet as rain

A valley safe as home

I could help you

If only you would not

Fear me