Little girl, dry your tears
Pull yourself up
Hear me out, real quick
I know your story oh too well
But I’m stronger because of it

Being teased on the playground because of my race
Stereotyping me behind my back
“She doesn’t look like her mommy so she’s not normal”
“She’s Chinese so she must be good at math”

Only I’m not
I’m not Chinese, but thanks for the compliment, the Chinese are lovely people
I’m not good at math, so don’t try to cheat off my tests
I don’t look like my mommy because I’m adopted
I’m not who you make me out to be

The ignorance of children hurts so much
But I’ve learned the act of forgiveness
I was born to live and do my own thing,
To defy and not care about what everyone else says

I’m unique and so are you
Don’t let them tear you down
Like a crumpled up twenty dollar bill
You’ve been walked on, trampled over, tossed around, left in the back pocket, even torn apart
But people still want you
Your value will never change

Don’t hate the bullies, but thank them
Like a tree in a windstorm without support
You’re going to come out of it stronger
No support along the way to lighten your load
You had to deal with the insults and punches firsthand

Next time you see them, smile and say thanks
For what, they may ask
Grin wider than you ever have
And say, for making me stronger
Saunter off with your head held high
But don’t forget to say goodbye

You’ll feel better knowing you had courage
Hopefully the insults and punches will stop
But if you hear a rumour about you being spread

Remember
You are braver than you think
Stronger because of them
You are amazing even when you think you aren’t
And your value shall never cease

I hope that you will take this to heart
What I've spent many years trying to figure out
The advice I wish I knew from the start
Don’t stop being you
Ever.