A Place of One's Own (poem)

I came searching for a place for myself,

a place where I would belong.

I searched and searched and searched,

but nowhere seemed quite right.

Then, when I was at my mind's edge,

I found a place brimming with possibility.

I could imagine myself among its walls and people,

working towards a better world together.

I asked if I could stay...

And there was silence.

In this silence I heard whispers,

dark hushed voices promising prophecy:

there can be no place for me,

I have fallen outside of it all.

In despair, I listened

and came to cease my search.

I had given too much,

and received too little in return.

There will never be a place for me;

I will always be a burden on others.

But a soft voice questioned me:

“why do they decide your place?

Why aren't you enough for yourself?”

I had no answer to respond with,

so I stood there and questioned why.

Why do I give them so much power?

Why do I doubt my own worth?

We are different like two drops in the ocean,

no greater and no lesser.

We belong simply because we are,

not because of the walls we've built.

My search was a foolish one,

like a man searching for his glasses

while he is wearing them:

a search for what is already possessed.

-Zero