The Outsider Poem by RONY PATRA

There is a person, sometimes big, sometimes small
Who has a tendency to stay away from it all
When the rest of the proceedings are looked at, with wonder
This person is what everyone calls the quintessential Outsider

The Outsider could be a scavenger or a hangman
Or anybody considered unusual by a layman
He could be the maligned goalkeeper in a soccer game
Or a war-weary soldier, back to civilian life, devoid of fame

He wants to be in the thick of action, but cannot do so
He is misunderstood by a friend, as much as by a foe
His position is always lonely, always desolate, always solitary
Whether he be in a high-pressure game or the military

In every type of setting, he is a stranger
To some, he is a misfit; to some, a danger
To the well-established norms and stereotypes of the world
He is a character whose thoughts are best not unfurled

He refuses to give in to sycophancy, in this world so biased
Or conform to convention, so he is ostracized
No one seems to have time for his views
And thus his boredom with life blows a fuse

So, he is reduced to a mere observer
Of circumstances, which he becomes with little fervour
And in this way, he enlarges his experience
Of the development of life, surroundings and conscience