RDP Thursday: Palisade

Gertrude Abercrombie

I wanted to fit in-

so I taught my mouth to smile on command

I taught my eyes to always look down and I kept my voice

low and flat when I socialized at work or on the train.

I wanted to fit in

I didn’t want to look defensive and unapproachable

so I stopped wearing dark makeup

and I stopped talking about things like

what it was like to work in a funeral home

and I dressed my dog up like a butterfly for Halloween

instead of a shark.

I hacked and I pruned away at myself

so that I would fit until there was nothing left of me at all.

Now I fit in

and I can tell that

everyone else is much, much happier.