No More Nerd
Nerd
That’s what people see when they meet me
They notice my glasses, my tucked-in shirt, and my messy hair
No sense of fashion they whisper
Nerd, they snigger mercilessly
People notice my enthusiasm for math
How in class I always volunteer to solve the first problem
My happiness when I see the equation on the board
The beautiful arrangement of symbols and numbers all lined up
Beckoning me to find its secrets
Nerd, they whisper
My classmates always giggle
When they see me quote Mr. Spock
Or when I read Voltaire
My hunger for learning amuses them
Nerd, they hiss harshly
My curiosity could encircle Jupiter three times
All 143,000 kilometers over, over, and over
I wish to learn about math, science, philosophy, history
I want to find out how to do things
From fixing a dusty, rusty car engine
All the way to finding out how to build the next model of the electron microscope
They know this
Nerd, they spit rudely
Nerd, Nerd, Nerd
They chant, gathering around me
A heavy, glass bottle whizzes past my face by the barest of an inch
They corner me
And hurl insults
Freak, Geek, Weirdo, Nerd
I am so sick of that word
That name
That stereotype
I explode in front of the crowd
Can’t I just be me?!
I yearn for the Earth, Venus, Jupiter and the universe
I am waiting to find all their secrets
To gaze upon their beauty through my telescope
Surrounded by star scattered darkness
My back positioned uncomfortably from 8 to 12
As I gather data and make calculations
I want to do what I want to do, without judging eyes heavy on my neck
To be as knowledgeable about and indulge my favorite subjects
The way football players figure out their game plans
The way artists get their fingers messy with shades of paint for the next portrait
While all these artists and football players may have a similar passion
They are all different people
They are all just themselves
Not more, not less
This is what I yearn for most
To be me
No more geek
No more freak
No more weirdo
No more nerd