I wanted to impress you...
but I am afraid I have failed

I wanted to impress you
so I shaved my face,
letting you know
that I am proud
of every young wrinkle
and of every scar
that I once hid.

I wanted to impress you
so I wore a shirt with buttons
to show you
getting my shirt off
takes more work
than just a slip of the hands.

I wanted to impress you
so I wrote a poem
with 17  words
that have more
than ten letters in them
to show you
I am smarter than those other boys.

I wanted to impress you
so signed myself up
to read my words
to a group of strangers
putting my own pride on the line
to show you
there are more important things to me.

I wanted to impress you
so I walked 3 inches taller
with my shoulders back
and my waist cocked tightly behind
to show you
I don't care that the world
can see my whole face.

I wanted to impress you...
until I found out
that the only person that you
are impressed by
is none other than your self.

so now I repress you
and your words
and your day to day verbs
to show you
that I am not impressed by you.