What I Want to Be

I want to be a porcupine, keep everyone away,
It’ll give me an excuse when they don’t want to stay.

To forget all of my past mistakes, I’d like to be a fish,
But I’d forget the good times too, so I'm careful for what I wish.

I could be a mouse and then, no one would notice me,
After a while being ignored gets to be lonely.

I want to be a turtle, with a hard outer shell,
I won’t get hurt and when I’m sad, I can hide away so well.

I could be an elephant, push everyone around,
But no one likes a bully who puts other people down.

A tall giraffe can glower down at others from above,
But being at the top can be lonely without love.

As a lion I’d have courage, be admired and revered,
But what some see as respect, would be a mask for fear.

No matter who or what you are, life is often tough,
So I’ll be content with who I am and hope that it’s enough.

Copyright © 2022 Brandon Ellrich
Originally published on Medium 

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If you liked this poem, you may want to check out my article Grow Your Nose.