Do not compare me to a summer’s day

I don’t want to be lovely or elegant or slim,

And I don’t want to have beauty that will never fade.

I want to be strong and not at all dim,

And I don’t like the way you have me portrayed.

If you’re going to compare me to a summer’s day,

Compare me to the sky and the way it is blue,

Or sometimes, when a storm is coming, how it is gray,

And how it makes you say “Oh, shoot.”

Do not compare me to a summer’s day,

Do not tell me how pretty I can be.

Do not tell me I am never cloudy,

Tell me I’m as fierce as the North Sea.

Tell me my words are as strong

As the wind that blows the clouds,

And I lead the way rather than tag along.

Tell me I never blend in with the crowd,

And that you cannot ignore me,

(No matter how hard you may try)

Because I stand out like the biggest tree,

And I’m still strong, even when I cry.