Layers [√]

[ on adjectives / noun ]

when someone gets asked the question
what do you know about Reine?
the generic answer would be along the lines of;
she's super smart, she graduated top of her class,
she's intelligent, she reads a lot,
she has good memory skills, she writes well,
she's studious, she's a bright student

there are only so many words in
the dictionary before people run out
of synonyms to describe my IQ

growing up,
i have always had this feeling of having to be
more than the stereotype attached to my person;
an ink of imprisonment that screams of parental expectation, a label of old-aged constructs, a societal imprint of what a good child should be

being smart means having less room for errors,
much less leeway for mistakes because
you are supposed to know better

being smart means having the ability to be stable,
to be calm and rational because
you are supposed to think better

being smart means staying away from destructive behavior, remaining prim and tall because
you are supposed to act better

when i was young,
i thought that being smart
was the epitome of an adult,
i thought being smart would be
the big red 'x' on the treasure maps,
i thought being smart would be
the only thing that matters

but at twenty-one,
i have come to realize that being smart is;
a repetitive hoax, a seemingly permanent scar stamped on my forehead, a title of anonymity
and reputation, a one word conclusion being used
as the main point of everyone's arguments
against my person

an armor that turns into an insult whenever
someone wishes to shoot a bullet,
an idea that gets dragged into
the fight of maturity and self-worth

the ear-splitting i thought you were smart
that make me flush beet red with mortification
and wrath because what once was
a compliment now became a burden

all of me has been reduced
to a neutral, lifeless term of an existence
that neither inspires art nor beauty
but makes the receiver wander in
search for a better interpretation

the next time when someone gets asked the question,
what do you know about Reine?

i would like to be described in
words that put no restrictions
into what i am,
words that give no boundaries
into who i have become,
words that will liberate me
into a metamorphosis

the next time when someone asks you the question,
what do you know about Reine?

maybe you will tell them,
she's smart

but please do not forget to add,
but i guess she's more than that label