I Am

If you are a stranger asking what I do,

“Figure skating” is always my first answer for you

The ice rink’s a place I feel I belong

Wind on my face, a flying jump – I could go on

I love it for its graceful tricks

As well as friendships strong as bricks

For someone who loves such a flashy sport

One would expect, perhaps, a louder sort

But though I perform in many places

I’m not that loud in many cases

I don’t always get out all that I’m thinking

And many teachers tell me to be louder-speaking

But rather than talk, I’d read a book

Lose track of time, curled up in a nook

Or write in my journal, as I do many a night

Where, sometimes, a short story comes to light

Perhaps I’d like to write it in français

My favourite language, apart from l’anglais

It can be easier to write in a strange tongue

The words sound better, and it’s really much fun

For all my friends I really care

Despite the daily insults we share

When anyone complains of troubles with school

“I won’t let you fail,” I say to the fool

For I believe with some help and some trying

There’s no need for anyone’s grades to be dying

Sometimes I find myself thinking about life

Wondering what matters, if it’s worth the strife

I am sometimes confused by my own strange thoughts

Understanding myself ties my mind in knots

But I suppose, with growing, it’s something we learn

Understanding will come when it is my turn

With most of the world, conforming to individuality

I want to be unique, just like everyone else.