Ancient wisdom from a land my parents escaped

Assimilation with my new culture where an outsider was made

Me, I am the outsider

I thought I was leaving separatism behind

What I was met with can surely make anyone want to respond in kind

Put your head down and work hard to achieve

But the caveat is you will be living your life for me

The small print no one bothers to read on a contract

It seems that I was born into a persona, a job, a way of being, a way living by default

But why can’t I live my life as me and not be a minor character in your last act?

I have been forced to walk the tightrope bridging my bifurcated life

Never knowing the who, where, why, how, or when of slipping into strife

I bear the scars of tumbling headlong onto the jagged ground

Brushing myself off, I swallow deep inside the pain to tell people I was just fooling around…

Today, I have decided to become the playwright of my life

Today, I have decided that I am the protagonist

Today, I will share my experiences hoping others won’t have to fall as I fell

Today, I know I can use my knowledge of pain to be gentle

Today, I seek a true reflection of me as the woman-child in the mirror

Tomorrow…

Tomorrow is filled with what dream may come…