Soft Is My Heartbeat

Perhaps I have my head in the clouds

Off where no one else can see

Off to some far-off land

Where I only have to be me

Perhaps I dress in drabs and grays

Things that hide my waist

I may not cheer and speak real loud

And I often feel out of place

Others sort where I belong

But they cannot decide my fate

The skin I'm in and who I am

Are not a single trait

My outward appearance is part of me

Something that will not go away

But really, I'm quite soft inside

If you look at me for me

My experiences have made me rich

Instead of stolen me away

I can look back at my own life

At what I've had to say

What I've done with and without others

And the challenges they play

I can say the good and bad qualities

Of those times will never go away

Both have made me complete as one

Both good times and things that weren't fun

Accepting yourself for who you are

And the choices you have made

Are things that often go undone

But that truly make you brave

To think that I could be some other person

Someone adept to speak

Someone who relates to the world in another manner

I find I'd be quite weak

Though not a leader, I must say

I strive to find my own way

If others wish to follow me

I welcome them, quite gay

Those who accept me for who I am

The paths that I have chosen

I'm very fond of them, you see.

And feel our destinies were woven

Sometimes I see hands reaching out

Toward a deep dark pit

I'm in so far, I can't get out

Lest my heart should split

I wonder if I can rely on them

Those hands at the top above me

Are those hands reaching out, the hands of who love me?

They give me motivation

They reach out and I climb up

I reach my destination

Although it's quite abrupt

Is it wrong to want to grab their hands?

Is it wrong to change my fate?

Is it wrong for them to empower me?

But I know they will make me great

Knowing I'm supported

I'm cared about and loved

Knowing that there's someone out there

Reaching out to me from above

That helps me know no matter how strong

Or weak I may seem to others

The ones who matter most are my true sisters and my brothers

They know that though I may seem drab

And others label me as weak

They know that as it turns out

My favorite color is pink

Some think purple, black, or turquoise

Some guess and say red or green

Some say I'm hard to figure out

Is it rose gold or another sheen?

Others label me as they view me

As hard, punk rock, or bland

But really they don't look at me or try to understand

I may be a bit Avant Garde, artsy and chasing dreams

But I have worked in the shadows

For those who wanted a machine

I cannot live that life so voiceless

I finally made some noise

I've learned that I can decide my own fate

By making my own choices

In the pursuit of character, I proclaim

I will move forward despite the shame

Look toward the sky at the treasure it holds

At its sunset, so bright and bold

An appropriate setting for a story untold

I open my notebook, and write down a new starter

I create settings and scenes, new lands unchartered

I feel my heart quell with inner piece

As I look at the sky's brilliant masterpiece

Pink are its clouds; filled with awe and wonder

No long are my ears filled with mere pounding thunder

The storm is over; a new chapter's begun

The story of Erica; a story unsung