How different you are from the rest of us
You make time feel real, people feel real
You make it all seem so important
and maybe it is

When you swim, the water welcomes you,
it knows that’s where you belong
When you look up at the night sky, the stars admire you,
they know of your respect

At church, the movie theatre, on the bus,
no matter where you go, you take off your shoes
You say you were born hating them, simple as that
And besides, wearing shoes is an unnatural act

When those boys killed that sparrow in the park
you cried with anger and buried it with care
I wonder what it’s like to be the type of person
that cries over the death of a bird

When you come home you kiss your father on the cheek
and then your mother
I’ve never met a boy who loves their parents -- as much as you do

You’re the type of smart that attracts hateful jealousy
and so you come home with bruises as dark as the storms
that you love so much
It seems, one of the hardest things you’ve had to learn
Is how not to be ashamed of your intelligence

You don’t see the world as dark
No, it’s filled with
light, secrets to be discovered.
Dante, you said once, that you were going to change the world
and I believe you