In youth, in childhood, they put fritters in my pan
Being normal was a choice made for me
I took them all
Started dancing on them
Squashed them and kicked them
Kicked off crisped nuggets
Devoured the crispy nuggets of delight
And the fritters kept coming
And I kept nibbling
And they were pleased with my conformity
That gave me indigestion and constipation
The way forward, they said
They said I must eat it
They said we all have to
They said it’s not so bad
They said you get used to it
Stop looking for grapes
Use a fork, not a knife
Normal is the way
And I ate such much
That part of me is normal
I’ve wasted most of life
Used up years in boxes
Where normal people put you
Frittered it away
Towing lines for Mr Tedeum
Pulling along Mrs Samey
Following the curriculum
Of multi-choice ticks and S.A.T.s
From the College of Soft-knocks
I use a knife though
Cut the fritters into new shapes
Avoid the fritter hype
I’ve a contrary love for misfits
They’ve been judged enough
Swum seas of assumptions
By normal fritter people
People whom I pity
Now I’m partly normal
The part that’s mediocre
It’s the way to fit in
The way to fritter life away
Al Barz 