Perhaps I’m an Alien

Sometimes I feel like a weirdo

Everywhere I go.

I wonder about social norms

Like when should I say hello

Or when should I ignore someone

And keep going on my way?

Or how do I end a conversation

Before walking away?

If I say hello and no one hears,

That is a little awkward for me.

If I don’t say hello and the other person does

That makes me worry.

What if the other person thinks

That I think poorly of them

Because instead of saying hello

I decided to ignore them?

When someone says “Thank you,”

What should I say?

Do I say, “No problem,”

Or “My pleasure, have a good day?”

I think the latter is the most pleasant

But when I say “No problem,” by accident

I think, “Now they think I was annoyed by them

And that their presence was inconvenient.”

Perhaps I am an alien

Who somehow got left behind

By the other aliens, and as a result

I’m struggling with the customs of mankind.

I’d like to think I’m a fairy

Forced to live amongst the human race.

But I’m most likely a silly, lost alien

Who needs to get back to outer space.

Caimille Wolf