A poem I wrote in 2007-

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April 14, 2007

What about us?

The reason why we search for love is simple.
We want to be exceptional to someone,
Even if the world can’t see out specialness
We want someone who can.
We need someone to think we’re important
And to miss us when we’ve gone away.
we cling to that person
who thinks more of us them we do of ourselves

but the world neglects us, rejects us, deflects us.

So I have to know-
What about those of us who are not exceptional, great or special?
The normal, hum-drum, everyday, and average,
The ones who are pretty good at some things
But never great or the best at anything
The ones who try and fail and try and fail

but never win.

The ones who work endlessly

but never get ahead.
What about those people?
No one cares about them,
Makes movies about
Writes books about
Hears stories about them.
Because people love the winners,
The greats,
The achievers.
So if you didn’t make 3 mill last quarter,
Or score the winning shot in the NBA finals,
Or drive your Mercedes to work,
Or write a best seller.
Or compose a symphony,
Or fuck a model
Then your just like me
and us nobodies have to stick together.

We should rebel, we should riot.

There are more of us than there are of them.

Only one man can win a race,

but for him to do so everyone else has to lose.

The world belongs to us nobodies but we’re

too busy envying somebodies to see that.

How easy it is to forget that we are not alone

and you are not the only nobody.

Maybe being a nobody won’t be so bad now that you know you are not alone.

The world is full of nobodies,

has-beens, losers, and the left behind.

Yet even a nobody is somebody to some one.

A son, daughter, sister, brother, mother, father, or friend to someone.

So us not so special somebodies have to stick together,

riot, revolt, and rebel.

Then again every act means something to someone,

So everything is great

from the winning shot

to all the shots that got you there

in that case everyone is really a full blown awesome somebody ,

a great, an achiever, and a winner.

But if everybody is special then no one is.

Everybody is a no body

I’m a nobody trying to be a somebody,

who are you?

Are you a nobody too?

I will think you’re exceptional if you can do the same for me.

Then we can both share in that victory.

Thomasa Pridgen