Aren't You Glad You're Not a Giraffe?

Aren't you glad you're not a giraffe?
Ever since I was born, everyone just laughed.
I always trip and I always fall,
But worse than that, worst of all,
When I was born, I hit my head.
"He won't grow at all," the doctors said.
So here I stand, a giraffe who's undersized.
I'm short and fat, and to none am I a prize.

When I stretch my neck to eat the trees,
My head won't reach the lowest of leaves.
No one else helps; all they do is stare.
"Haha, you're so weird!" Life isn't even fair.
So one day when I was all alone,
I decided to go out, all on my own.
I slowly crept from our large herd
Without even a single goodbye as a word.

I ran away from that mean, old town.
The dirt path was my friend, staining my feet brown.
I didn't turn around; I didn't look back.
I didn't stop running until I heard loud, "QUACK!"
The oddities of this animal amused me, though.
One of them amused me most, of all her woes.
This duckling didn't waddle, for she had to jump.
She hopped out of the bush, and hit the ground with a thump.

I stared at the duck, no longer grounded.
This duck had one leg, left me utterly confounded.
"You have one leg!" I was in shock.
She picked herself up, brushed herself off.
"I was born with one leg; it's not that strange.
I am who I am, and I won't change."
She looked at me, and said her goodbyes,
Then she smiled, waved, and flew off to the sky.

I continued walking, a little slower this time.
She is who she is, and that isn't a crime.
I pondered this thought, knowing it was true;
My thoughts interrupted by a very loud, "HOO!"
An owl swooped down, and landed on my back.
I thought to myself, This owl's a quack!
"It's the middle of day," I pointed out to this bird.
"You're out during day, and that's very absurd."

He stared at me with eyes as big as the sun,
said, "You're neck is short, yet I do not shun.
I come out during the day; it's not that strange.
I am who I am, and I won't change."
This owl started to fly away,
But I asked, "How could you think that way?"
"Who cares what people think?" he noisily squawked.
Then he took off, and soared away like a hawk.

It confuses me how they can think like that.
How can you be so strange and not give a rat's hat?
This wandered my mind, leaving me in awe,
I contemplated this thought, impeded by a "BAA!"
The sheep stood in the middle, causing my arrest.
The odd thing was this sheep wasn't like the rest.
Ignoring the fact that this sheep was dark gray,
I tried to push past him and go on my way.

"Ow!" I yelped as his wool scraped against my side.
This sheep's wool was harmful, and it wouldn't move aside.
"You're stubborn and mean, and your wool should be sheared."
"I may be stubborn, but my wool isn't that weird.
I have steel wool on my body; it's not that strange.
I am who I am, and I won't change."
This stubborn sheep started moving away,
waved and smiled, then went off on its way.

What is with these animals? I asked only me.
They are weird and different, can they not see?
Perplexed, my mind wandering farther away,
I just kept on walking any which way.
What I saw, I almost didn't understand.
What stood in front of me was completely unplanned.
I saw my herd of giraffes searching frantically,
But searching for what? Searching for me?

I tried to hide, but heard, "Over there!"
I prepared myself, and said a prayer.
Expecting to be yelled at, I was stunned
When I got hugged instead of getting shunned.
They yelled and shouted, "We missed you! Where did you go?"
"I just left... I didn't think you'd care, though."
We laughed, reconciled, and just talked,
And for once, I felt accepted as we just walked.

I learned so much, can you see?
I can be who I wanna be; I can be me.
I don't care what people think, or what they say.
And my giraffe herd respects me for that, today.
Being unique can be pretty gay,
if you just think of it like this and say,
"I was born very short; it's not that strange.
I am who I am, and I won't change."