“My Class Is Middle”
My class is middle
And your class is not
You were raised without some
Of the things that I got
And I’m very sorry
When I act somewhat funny1
Like how stiff I get
When talk turns to money
Or in group discussions
I might dominate
Or use pompous language
To make me seem great
But being together
Is so much more nice
Than being in charge
Or looking more wise
And sometimes though we
Of mid-class try our best
To do smarty things2
And ace3 all our tests
What’s vital is not
Whose words are more clever
It’s whether we all
Move forward TOGETHER
So I’ll learn to be second4
And back5 your grand mind
Bring you in the center—
We’ll all have big lives!
Yes, being together
Our classes as one
The work can be tough
But the outcome is fun
Mike Lyons
Austin, Texas, USA
1 In this context, “funny” means strange.
2 “Smarty things” means things that appear to be smart.
3 “Ace” means perform extraordinarily well on.
4 I am borrowing the idea of being “second” from Xabi Odriozola’s article on language liberation (in the July 2013 Present Time) in which he encourages those of us in oppressor groups to give up our need to be first, while not being passive or quiet.
5 “Back” means support.