Some children, when ostracized, will choose the path of stoicism. The belief that, if you do not speak without prompt, you will seem less an outsider than you may be if you shared your thoughts, is instead a way to push others away in order to keep yourself safe. Do not confuse the self-imposed distance for stoicism. People are social beings. Keep trying, and keep an open mind for what people like. Remember, friendship is a give and take.

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Selective Silence

A child like me was silent
Scared a friend at show and tell
I brought along a piece I made
with hammer and some nail
“So there,” say I, with glowing eye
A grin upon my face
A travesty of art to see
My classmates needed space

And surely I can worry or a sadder shed o’ tear
When all my mates are running out without much grabbing gear
No wonder what become of me when all was said and done
I walked home alone and to atone I sipped on father’s rum

When I’s a teen I set my blues by sitting in the park
I took my time on every line, with poems rather dark
I shared again with friends who then would shrug and walk away
A fool was I to wonder why
I’d sit inside all day

It’s a cruel, cruel path we walk
with greener, meaner thorns
A destiny of mockery and
savages we scorn
If I were less, I would confess
Contentment at my game
But even if I turned a cheek
My sadness still remained

When I dropped out of college
I had nothing on my mind
I’d filled my ache with knowledge and
No answers could I find
I felt the same or pretty lame
No sympathy in sight
And better yet, I don’t regret when nobody is right