Nonconformity

Nonconformity All my life I have been controlled Told what to think Told how to behave Told what was right and wrong Don’t talk to strangers Eat all your vegetables Obey the rules that God set down millennia ago Who made the decisions for me? Preachers, teachers and parents were all guilty Don’t use drugs because they rot your mind Their morals and ideas twisted my mind I grew up obeying every word in fear of eternal punishment At least a note in my permanent record I grew, read and learned that the world was not white and black Strangers ended up being cool people Meat tastes better than the vegetables I used to be served God’s rules were designed to take every bit of fun out of life Pot was a cool drug that never hurt anyone and helped some I learned that the people who taught me never listened to the rules they preached One thing they did teach me was to never conform Never listen to people who feign authority Always learn for yourself Experience is more knowledgeable than preachers, teachers or parents So now I live hated by some and admired by others Both call me the same name, “nonconformist” That name is one I wear with pride I hope that kids of the next generations will refuse to accept the nontruths I hope that they will learn to question authority I hope that someday there will be more nonconformist like me They will not have to live being spurned by a conformist society It is my hope that they will speak out and be heard And at that time nonconformity will be the norm And all will be good