The Outsider

They think I’m stupid, but they’d be surprised I see the revulsion in their eyes And the way their heads lean together, To talk about me as I walk by. Do they think I don’t see looks of horror On faces, as they get to their feet? When I approach their coffee table, To sit down on the vacant seat Don’t they know I’m aware that they’re shouting When they talk to me, as if I can’t hear? But then tell their child not to speak to me I’m a monster, and someone to fear They view me, through eyes of loathing As a soul of no value or worth Who contributes nought to society Undeserving a place on their earth I just wish that, before passing judgment They’d get to know me or give me a chance To show them the ‘someone’ hidden inside And maybe break through their ignorance So they’ll look upon me as those they think ‘normal’ And not treat me differently For I am a person, with feelings, like them But for my learning difficulty! This poem is about the service users I work with and how they feel the world views them and is a crime against humanity