Normal

In case you don't already know this
I'm superwoman.

No, seriously.
I have the cape and everything.
It's a bright red cape that I like wearing out
on random occasions
my most recent outing to look super?
Trader Joe's.
complete with a black t shirt and a rhinestone pink studded S on the front.
and my screaming fire engine truck red cape.
that I wear in public.
Just because I can.

I saw someone I knew
while pushing my super shopping cart
down aisle 5
and they laughed nervously, as though my sanity was questionable
based on the fact that I was draped in a cape
and asked
"why aren't you normal?"

Normal?
the definition for normal is "conforming to the standard or the common type."
synonym: the average, or mean.

Well I've never been mean
and I was always taught to achieve above average.

but you're talking about normal.
to me.

we live on a ball of molten rock
covered in water and dirt
that is spinning and spinning and spinning
around a giant ball of FIRE.
and you... want to talk to me about normal?

Yes, that makes sense.
because I can walk outside
and see a tiny wormlike caterpillar
that should stay looking like a fuzzy version of my pinky finger
but no
it gorges itself on the energy around
and wraps itself so tight in a cocoon
and REARRANGES IT'S BODY PARTS
and so this tiny little line of black fur
emerges
with delicate wings
so thin that they break if they're touched
but those wings
bear our little caterpillar to the sky
bright blue, shimmering wings
that looks like a piece of the ocean took flight.
and yet, you're standing here talking to me about normal

as one of my peers
you of all people shouldn't want to talk about normal
our generation is better at talking through keyboards and LED screens
than actually holding a face to face conversation
I mean
look at you right now.
you're awkward standing here talking to me
because I don't fit into your definition
of "normal".

Please tell me one person
whose name appears on the pages of a history book
who was called "normal" during their time.
Was Dr. King normal? Was ghandi normal? Aristotle, Julius Cesear, Jane Goodall, Pablo Picasso, Frida Khalo, Barack motherfucking Obama?!
they broke the mold
but who says there is a mold?
everyone is hand crafted
there is no mold
unless you're talking about last week's lunch in the back in the back of your fridge
in which case I can't help you
they were out of the ordinary
extra-ordinary
and I'm not saying that I'll achieve as much as they have
all I'm saying

is you might want to think about your definitions
before you try to define me.