This poem came out of the October 3, 2017 Poetry Fishbowl. It was inspired by a prompt from gingicat . It also fills the "excitement" square in my 10-1-17 card for the Fall Festival Bingo. This poem has been sponsored by janetmiles . "Overkineralization" Not every little boy who sleeps on his toys is necessarily a dragon. Not every little girl who plays with swords will grow up to be a man. Not every woman who likes to lick herself is secretly a cat. Not every man who talks to himself is really a plural person. When you feel alone in the world, there is a temptation to seek others who are similar to yourself. It's natural to get excited, to get ahead of yourself, to get into trouble. Confirmation bias. Overgeneralization. Jumping to conclusions. These things lead to faulty reasoning, which suggests incorrect answers, which tend to cause problems. Observe the situation. Consider all the possibilities. Favor whichever fits the data best. Understand that you may still be wrong. * * * Notes: Otherkin are people who identify as something other than human. Here are some common signs . As the same signs can also mean other things, it is necessary to look for a confluence of clues before making a judgement about species identity. Confirmation bias is a common flaw in scientific studies , also knows as " what the Thinker thinks, the Prover proves ." Overgeneralization is another logical fallacy . Jumping to conclusions can shortchange the opportunity to use reasoning skills .