Different
By Laura Bradley Rede

What if everyone here was exactly the same?
What if everyone answered to only one name?
If somebody yelled “Chris!” then we’d all have to go.
There’d be no one named Gertrude or Malcolm or Moe.
What if all of our t-shirts were one-size-fits-all
And nobody was short, and nobody was tall
And our feet were all small and our eyes were all blue
And our hair was all straight
Tell me, what would we do?

What if everyone’s house was the same shade of fawn
With the same pink flamingos set out on the lawn?
What if everyone’s house had a mom and a dad
And two kids and a cat, and that’s all that they had?

Well, you might live like that, and it’s fine if you do.
You might have one daddy or you might have two
Or maybe two mommies, or maybe one mom
And your name may be Zoe or Keisha or Tom
And your eyes may be blue and your hair may be brown
Or you may find you like it the other way 'round!
And your hair may stick up or sproing out or just droop
And you may be as tall as the basketball hoop
Or you may be much smaller and close to the ground
And your shape may be skinny or Minnie or round.
You might run to have fun.
You might roll when you play.
You might speak Cantonese.
You might sign what you say.

You might live in a condo if that’s what you wish
You might live in a houseboat, out there with the fish.
You might live on a farm with your red-headed aunt.
If you’re doing no harm, you should do what you want.
See, the world is so big, it has room for a lot
And there’s really no reason to be who you’re not
So be proud, shout it loud, and without any shame:
“We are all pretty cool
and we’re not all the same.”

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