Don't Tell Me

Don’t tell me that I’ll never understand
Because I do, and if I don’t, I will

Don’t tell me that I’m not good enough
Because I will prove you wrong

Don’t tell me that I’m a hypocrite
Because by saying that, you are a hypocrite, too
And so is he, and she
And Jimmy down the street
And Emily from your chemistry class
And Tom on your soccer team

And don’t tell me that things will be better “someday”
Because someday
Is so very far away
And counting the days between someday and today
Takes too long
421? 3782? 28? 651,019? 2?

Tell me that I don’t say “I love you” enough
Because I don’t
But don’t tell me that you don’t say “I love you” enough
Because you don’t

Don’t tell me that I dream too much
Because I like my dreams
And don’t tell me that my dreams will never become reality
That I’m crazy and that I’m foolish
Because that’s what I tell myself
And if I don’t listen to myself
Then why should I listen to you?

And when I find out that you were right
And that I was right
And my dreams come crumbling down
Don’t tell me that tears don’t sound like anything
That the anguish, the sorrow and the despair doesn’t sound like anything
That it doesn’t overwhelm my ears and make me never want to hear
The sound of tears
Again
And don’t tell me that tears don’t smell like anything
Because they smell bittersweet
The bitterness of loss
And the sweetness of relief

You can tell me that I don’t know what it’s like to have a whole in my heart
Because I don’t
But I do know what it’s like to have a whole in my GUT
That goes straight through my middle
And aches whenever I think about it

And don’t tell me that you’ve never had a whole in your gut before
The spot of sorrow
Of loss
Of guilt
Of emptiness
Where something was
Where somebody used to be
Where you wish somebody was
Where somebody wishes they were
Where a dream used to be

Don’t tell me that I laugh too loudly
Because I’ll turn tHE VOLUME UP

And don’t tell me that I don’t know
What sadness is
Because I know what emptiness is
And that’s much worse

And don’t tell me that the music I listen to is strange
Because
“it goes in one ear and right out the other”
And yes, those were song lyrics

Don’t tell me that I should be more like you
Because I don’t want to be

You can tell me that I’m weird
And that I’ll never fit in
But I’d rather be weird like me
Than ordinary like you

And don’t tell me that nobody cares
Because I care

So don’t tell me
So STOP TELLING ME
And start showing me