That Old Ensign

I see the flag,
That old ensign,
But I do not serve it,
A flag is mere fabric,
A textile icon of the past,

Preach not to me,
Of patriotism and servitude,
Of loyalty and treason,
Of fealty and monarchs,
I shall not heed you,

I am not my birthplace,
I am not your history,
I am not your hate,
Your bigotry or your intolerance,
I am not the empire,

I’m a human,
Not a nation,
I’m not here to entertain you,
Not going to fight for you,
I march to only one drum and flag,

That of the human heart,
That of humanity.

Monachopsis

I’m a misfit,
I’m socially awkward,
Do you know how I can tell?
It’s not the facepaint,
Nor the inability to smile normally,
It’s a certain intangible strain,

A subtle yet leaden weight,
Upon my soul,
A sense of monachopsis,
The burden of not belonging,
I’m in a person suit,
The public are not my tribe,

I lumber through hostile streets,
As if waistdeep through syrup,
Incomparably out of place,
A slovenly ghoul,
A shade of grey,
Passing through hued crowds,

I long to return home,
Domestic safety,
A raft away from the societal sharks,
I can be fluidly myself,
A rainbow within,
Dancing with my thoughts,

Please don’t make me go outside,
I don’t belong there.

My Table

Hey you,
You look glum,
A fellow oddity,
Has the world worn you down?
To a dirty sheen?
A cynical attempt to reduce you to normality,

People look down on you too,
You’re just like me,
A rancid freak,
A lunatic,
A weirdo,
A total loser,

What do you think it is?
Do you dress differently?
Is your countenance vividly chaotic?
All hair dyes and mascara,
Do they call you queer?
Do they throw their slings and arrows?

Come have a drink with me,
Let’s drink to disorder,
To individuality,
To our quirks,
To our life choices,
To ourselves,

You’re welcome at my table,
Our very own haven,
For all of us freaks,
Lets drink.

Eccentric

A friend once told me,
I may be eccentric,
A conflux of wasted potential,
A lunatic,
I’ll never get far this way,

I beg to differ,
I simply walk a wildly different path,
While your path holds domestic bliss and career goals,
Mine holds glamorous noise and dancing clowns,
A cane in my hand and a top hat atop,

You live your grey life,
Chastise me if you will,
I’ll still be jaunting,
I’ll still be grinning,
The crisp earth will welcome us both all the same.

Apostate

I am an apostate.

I’m a heretic,
I’m unprejudiced,
I’m open-minded,
I’m a freethinker,
I’m a heathen,
I’m singular,
I’m an individual.

These things make me dangerous.
These things make me an apostate.

The Hymn of the Inmates

Ladies and Gentlemen,
Brothers and Sisters,
Good priests and bad priests of all orders,
Allies,
Rivals,
Lovers,
I beseech you,
Hear my words!

Lords and Duchess’,
Madmen and Madwomen of all conditions,
Scum,
Thieves,
Murderers,
Churls and Misfits,
Hear me now!

The world is an asylum,
Our asylum,
We are the inmates,
We are the individuals,
We are the freaks,
We are the aberrations,
We are the monsters,
We are the inmates.

Join me in a celebration,
Rejoice in your own individuality,
Embrace your eccentricity,
Love your peculiarity,
Dance in the rain,
Paint with your fingers,
Laugh madly in public,
Do as you please.

We are the inmates,
Singular and deranged,
Odd and frivolous,
We are ourselves,
We are the twisted family,
Embrace the asylum,
And join us.

Curing individuality

Take a seat over there.
So I hear you have a case of being yourself?
You’re an individual?
Easily remedied!
Here take these,
Two pills of forced homogenization,
And another of a misguided vox populi.
Take with regular exercise and regular bullying.
Keep your mind grey and dull.
You’ll be cured and normal in no time!

Don’t listen to that doctor!
Me? I’m your voice of reason.
Individuality is not a disease,
It’s not a curse,
It’s not wrong!
It’s good to stand out!
It’s good to be yourself!
Wear what you want!
Do what makes you happy!
Love who you want!
Let your rainbows soar!

And if you are faced by bigots and critics,
Just remember: Don’t let them “cure” you.
You’re an individual!

The note everyone will hear

Everyone has something to say.
Not everyone will listen.
Not at first at least.
You must persevere.

Eventually you will hit a note everyone can hear.
The perfect tone,
The right pitch,
Just on key.
A supreme message.

My advice to you?
Keep it up.
Continue spreading your message,
Whatever it is.
Take the world!