I see it posted – stand up, stand out –
I hear it said – be irresistible –
every-bloody-where, in so many
different ways. Be unique.
Apparently, it’s aspirational –
stand out from the crowd –
it’s wisdom – be irreplaceable –
it gives you something to strive for.
Strive?? Wow! How tiring…
But the words seem so right, right?
Written there in black and white,
or spoken kindly by a friend or mum –
be unique – um;
what?
Like an antique watch you mean?
Or maybe a Van Gogh? 
How desolate, how oppressive, 
for a human to be so treasured.
Or, when you say “unique”,
is there any chance you mean
the way that each of us is made
different just by being
given different genes, shown
different loves, felt different
circumstance, seen different,
feared different, learned different,
(re)acted different.
Different, different, different.
Different, not unique.
One is your identity; the other,
it’s nothing new.

Listen to it as a song!