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if you see me in the street
you won't even know it

i'm different out there,
in "the real world":
i talk and act and walk and dress differently
i blend in

if you see me on the net
it's a much better fit

i'm confident in here,
nestled between servers and sound-bites:
i'm stronger and louder and prouder and happier
i stand out

freed from bodily limitations
i can explore
the world, myself and my people

sometimes, i still get scared to speak
because words won't fade from memory.
they'll stick around for all to see;
i'll be tied to every thought i've ever had

but growth is maturity
and i am learning to build on my past, not bury it

so long as we remember that this digital space is nothing
without the physical people who put in the work
to build something bigger than themselves,
we can harness the power of this platform

communicating and collaborating
toward a better future