Fuel

Rejection shouldn't surprise me
I was never black enough for the culture

or even Latino enough por la raza

definitely not native enough for the tribe
there was no place for me anywhere
so I moved around a lot
hoping to find acceptance
instead of constantly being bullied
for speaking multiple languages 
and having a slightly different accent 

but I still didn't fit in how I wanted to

and that feeling of being less than
has followed me my entire life
but that's not as bad as 
that feeling of not being trusted  
because if I couldn't be trusted 
how could I ever feel supported 
I have every reason to stay angry
but I'm so tired of being angry
I need every bit of energy just to breathe 
so I'll do what I've always done
use everything I've lived through 
as fuel for an already raging fire
I still have this chip on my shoulder
but I have to keep believing in myself 
otherwise I don't deserve to be here

© 2019