My Situation

You know my situation
You don't know my story, but
You know my situation
I could be anyone, but
I'm me
You don't know me, but
You know my situation

Easy enough when I'm
A nuisance,
A nut,
A non-entity,
Or worse—
A novelty.

Look me in the face sometime
And tell me again how there's no place for me
No, really, tell me what you mean
If you can speak to me at all
I'll write, I'll call
You'll transfer me so cordially

But I'm far too rich to be poor
And yet too poor to be manageable

I fit inside the miscellaneous bin
The lost and found at the end of the semester
Right between the gym sock and the retainer
Can't donate me or donate to me
Not that I want charity
But I do get hungry sometimes
And it's safer inside at night, yknow

So when you're kind enough to buy her that water bottle
That says it helps bring clean water to African children
And as you're handing it down to her, she says she doesn't want it
She has the audacity to refuse
On the grounds that the company is lying
And you storm off, thinking how arrogant she is
To reject your kindness, your money you spent on that bottle
Only to find out online that she was damn right about the company
And if only you had known, you wouldn't have bought it
But what did she know
You didn't know her story, but
You knew her situation

Like you'll know mine
When you see me across the room
Still wearing clothes I brought from before
Typing on a laptop I got as a gift
Driving a car I didn't buy myself
Sitting in your cafe like I have something worthwhile to be doing
Using up your space and your air-conditioning and your free wifi
Well, I guess I
I'm sorry
I'll just get out of your way

Because I know you know my situation
When public space becomes "your way"
And people like me are secretly "someone else's problem"
Instead of just people

So don't ask me about my situation
You know my situation, but
You don't know me

'Cause man, I'm just people