in the face of adversity
I know I pay a debt for past mistakes
And the ledger is not tilted in my favour.
It is hard to accept with equanimity
A punishment meted out for mere passion.
The gaoler that bars my way
Mocks me with his too-familiar laughter,
Dancing with Puck-like caper before my mind’s eye
When every step forward is abruptly halted
By lock and key and red tape.
But the words of the well-meaning cut like knives
And my gratitude sticks in my throat.
I do not wish to be an object of pity.
I want to look upon the faces of those who love me,
Address the thoughts in the back of their minds
And say “I am not this thing that happened to me.”
My path to self-awareness is littered
With the corpses of my former selves.
I am not the one that was left behind.
I am the one who survived.
© mjc 08 June 2015
