I met Superman
On a subway once
The redline
Between east 55th and Euclid
But the more I saw him there the more out of place
I think he seemed
We used to go on adventures
Together
If only in my mind
But I imagined him
So well
That I thought
He’d know me
If only he noticed me
So I followed him upstairs
To the street
After his stop
Superman and I used to fly
Higher than the weight of
The world could drag me down
And even if it did
I knew he’d catch me
When I was with him
danger didn’t have
A feeling
It was like peeling myself from reality
During the hours we
Spent together
It tasted like my mother spaghetti
With a hint of
Originality mixed between the layers
Of innocence that
Allowed a kid to reject the idea Santa Claus
Exists
But think that a cape made me invinerable
And maybe that was because I couldn’t
Stop the arrows
From pinning me down
Or that the harder I fought to swim
The more I would feel myself drown
But sometimes I prayed for Superman and his cape
To allow me to escape
But mr super man why aren’t you flying?
I thought walking was for us small ones
With tons of things on our mind that
Wouldn’t let us climb high
I think I get it now
You want to use your super speed
I bet one thing you didn’t
Know about was how
I always wished I was you
When your feet flew past your problems
When their consequences couldn’t catch up
When yesterday was left behind me in the dust
When I was able to crush my days
With the fantasy of running away
But superman why are you walking?
Shoulders curled down
As though the rain I feel beating in my
Head is pounding your shoulders instead
Sir where is your cape?
There are bad guys up here
We can’t let them get away
You know I prayed for you every day
Hoping that you would enjoy your stay while you were here
And help me curb my fears
But there’s more isn’t it?
I met superman at the corner
Of east 55th and euclid
But I got to know Clark Kent
In an apartment complex
On lakeshore boulevard
That was filled with broken dreams
And spirit that would rather
Die than stop trying
It kept fighting
Flying further
Digging deeper
Hope never growing weaker with the passing day
I followed him once
And he begged me to stay
His cape was folded
And draped over the casket of his
Dreams that he buried with his
Wings when he forgot how to fly
But next to that was a light
That was still kept burning
Yearning to see something more
Clark Kent is not a superhero
Or even mildly interesting past the hair and
Sideswiped bangs that hide his true identity
But he means everything to me
Because of his potential
He may not be superman
But he could be
He may not fly
But he can see
How his cape may be the scars
On his back
But when I look in the mirror
I see Kent
As more of a hero
Than any letter on his capes back could make him
So don’t meet your heroes kid
They are never what they seem
Past the screens and the scenes
And they remind me of everything I’m not
And could never hope to be
but you know what?
I met Clark Kent
And I’m proud of who he his
Because his role has always
Dared me to keep trying
And to dream again of flying
