But I’m always in my own world- on my own planet, y’know? 

I think I’m always alone, no matter the crowd that surrounds me.

And I don’t mean this in a sad way, so don’t feel sad for me, 

But when I’m with my family, I’m not really with them, y’know? 

I feel different and isolated and not like myself because they like an IDEA of me that I’ve created to protect myself from their stubborn political views. 

And I don’t mean this in a sad way, so don’t feel sad for me,

But in class, I’m not fully there, y’know? 

I’m in my own head and it takes me hours to finish an assignment that everyone else can do in minutes. I think(know) it’s undiagnosed neurodivergence, just one more thing to set me apart from peers. 

And I don’t mean this in a sad way, so don’t feel sad for me,

But even surrounded by friends, I’m still on my own little planet, floating in space, y’know?

Because even though we have the same political views and divergent brainwaves or whatever, I’ve got this brilliantly named syndrome that gives me chronic pain called… chronic pain syndrome (wow so creative) that makes me sit out from playing just dance or from climbing big toys at the park or even from walking to class together because I need the elevator. Always in pain, always alone, even when I’m with people I love. 

And I don’t mean this in a sad way, so don’t feel sad for me,

But my cat is the only one who can walk on my planet. 

No matter what pain I’m feeling, what I can or can’t do, what I can or can’t say, what I feel for whatever reason, she loves me unconditionally. She comforts me no matter what and is always by my side. I love her. 

And I don’t mean this in a sad way, so don’t feel sad for me,

Because no one should feel sad for me

Because if they felt sad for me, I wouldn’t be alone in one thing and I don’t know how to deal with that.

I can’t breathe in the atmosphere everyone else lives on, on the flip side of the strip of clay we live on. So please, don’t pity me,

Because I don’t mean this in a sad way, so don’t feel sad for me. 

born this way, as his memory could tell. 

The second he hatched, he was thrown out in shame,

So Jeremy had to choose his own name. 

With no family, nor friends, nor shell to call home, 

The Forest was where he decided to roam; 

All kinds of creatures filled it to the brim,

From deer of large to snakes of slim;

From creatures joyous, to creatures sad, 

To creatures hungry and pointlessly mad.

But by the day’s end, when sunshine would dim,

Jeremy found no snail quite like him. 

But despite his seclusion, Jeremy remained glad,

For he couldn’t even count all that he had!

So every day, as the night became nigh,

Jeremy looked up and thanked the sky. 

These forests, which, for years, he would tread,

Would often leave Jeremy so near to dead. 

From predators who saw him as easy prey,

To kids who poured salt as a means to play,

The Forest was a dangerous, fright-filled place

Where a snail with no shell would lose every race. 

Still, even after being picked on by crows,

After ground beetles hungrily nibbled his toes, 

After children poured salt right onto each eye,

Jeremy happily thanked the sky. 

He could no longer see, but it no longer hurt,

So he still traveled miles across forest dirt. 

Then, one day, as he roamed the woods blindly, 

An Owl suddenly greeted him kindly.

“Who! Who! Oh, who might you be?”

“I’m just a snail,” said Jeremy,

“A snail with no shell, but a snail nonetheless-

I feel that is something that I should confess.”

The Owl wailed worriedly, in pity and heart,

“Surely, your life must have been tart!

You must have seen thousands of your kind,

Did their fortunes ever bring sorrow to mind?

Aren’t you saddened by solitude, resenting of rejection? 

Longing for love, for friends, for affection?

Aren’t you miserable without a shell on your back,

A phenomenon causing company to lack?

When reflecting on misfortunes, don’t you cry?

I’m sure you look up and curse the sky!”

Jeremy, shocked and appalled by his words,

Spoke the way no snail would dare speak to birds,

“No, I do not curse the sky,

For with all that I have, why would I?” 

The owl’s beak perked into a smile.

He had waited for Jeremy a very long while. 

Then, with a “Hoot,” and an owly-wing’s flap, 

Jeremy’s form changed with a zap.

Suddenly, he grew to the size of a tree,

And a house formed where Jeremy’s shell would be! 

“Don’t fear, for I’ve given you more than a house,

It’s a home for all creatures, from lion to mouse.”

The Owl paused to let a question brew,

“Would you like me to fix your eyes, too?”

Jeremy politely turned down his proposal,

For he wanted his fate at the forest’s disposal. 

The owl smiled once again,

Proclaiming, proudly, with the vigor of ten,

“Jeremy, throughout hardships, you’ve remained unaffected:

You will now be a home for all critters neglected.”

So Jeremy still trots through the trees,

Picking up every misfit he sees,

Offering them shelter and family inside,

Letting them stick around for the ride. 

The forest, throughout all of its bitters,

Will forever have Jeremy’s home for neglected critters. 

The end :)