I am not cliché
I do not write extensively about morality or love.
I don’t see the sunsets as radiant or romantic.
To me,
They are sorbet.

I do not notice the shells on the beach.
Or listen to the ocean
In them.
I do not see many butterflies
Or run in endless fields.

When I hike in my forbidden forest,
Mud gets on my clothes
And thorns prick my side.
And I hear my neighbors lawn mower.

When I am at a beach,
My bathing suit rides up
Sand gets in my eyes and ears
And under my fingernails.
A seagull fights me for my lunch.

But I don’t need clichés
To make my life full of humor.
Reality makes me laugh
Gives me stories to tell.
Forces me to see the humor
In pain.