When We Were Younger

We used to play well together
when we were younger,
when I was the action figure.

We’d fight bad guys,
fly over cities,
and strike triumphant poses.

When we grew up,
everything changed.

I still remember
the last time
we played together;
you adjusted my arm
to make me fly,
then realized
I was no longer malleable,
no longer controllable,
and I was now your size.

While I suggested
cities we could save
and villains we could fight,
you just looked at me,
confused and uncomfortable;
when I saw your face,
I felt ashamed,
like there was something
wrong with me,
assuming that I
was just that type of person,
one who makes people
uncomfortable
and situations
awkward.

It has taken me years to realize
that the “problem” with me
is that I never
should have been
an action figure
in the first place,
needing to evolve
into my current self;
I was human all along,
just neither of us knew it.

That was the last time
we played together,
and I’m not sure
if I will ever forget
how it made me feel.