I can’t let society get to me
as I’m walking down the street
A white cat in the window of a white house
stares at me so sinisterly

He smugly licks himself
and tells me to stand up straight
To pin my shoulders back
he tells me “walk THIS way”

To hold my head up high
cut my hair and shave
Give poetry a break
“do something with your life”

Society grins
and invites me to come in
Come and breathe their air
but only what they feel’s fair

I feel my chest tighten
my lungs gripped by anxiety
squeezing the life out of me
I can barely breathe

As society stares at me
I feel a growing need
To walk my way
Talk my way
Walk away from here

So as I leave the white cat behind
I smile with relief
I’ll choose the air I breathe
And it won’t be societies