I Am A Geode

I

Am a Geode

Who remembers when she was just a rock rolling her way through grade school.

I was there.

Yet I remember never being called on

And never being chosen

I remember being told that I was perfectly happy about my peers starring straight through me.

I remember standing in the swirling, burning dust of the wood-chipped grounds with a pink, plastic jump rope in my hand, praying to God that someone would grant me the glorious honor of joining their game.

I remember weeping every single time they left me behind at the classroom door,

I was four.

I was only four,

But I guess there were too many little rocks in the world

To worry about one more.

I remember being told to never be broken,

But it happened.

I was dropped and left to shatter into pieces,

But I didn’t.

The celestial crystals inside of me became exposed,

And my bliss in my life was doubly blessed,

However, it soon became apparent that I was

Not shiny enough for the crystals

Or plain enough for the rocks.

The flower-marked rocks resting against the walls

Resented me for dancing in the center of the circle,

And the crystals refused me for refusing to gossip,

Or perhaps because I shine brighter than they ever could.

Although I’m happy, they don’t understand

That I’m not content drifting from land to land,

I’d like to settle down with some friends for a change,

Instead of being everyone’s acquaintance or half-friend,

But I realize that there are not many geodes on the ground,

So I’m going to glimmer my blinding light,

The shy extrovert,

Or the boisterous introvert,

Whatever you call me,

I’m the only one whom I’m ever met

With the flashiness of outward self-confidence,

And the smooth, subtle nature of a river stone’s serenity.