Item 169 – Self-Acceptance Poem

Inside Out

You were careless

You were reckless and irresponsible

And you made bad choices

 

You defied all authority

And you ignored

The wisdom of your elders

 

You were provocative

You were inappropriate and promiscuous

And you broke the rules

 

You placed yourself in danger

Just to prove you were mature

In the most childish of ways

 

You courted danger and it found you

You were asking for it

 

You were not asking for it

You trusted and danger was thrust upon you

 

You were trusting of adults

Who made you believe you were mature

When you were just a child

 

You explored boundaries

You tested the limits of appropriate behavior

And an adult broke the rules

 

You were trusting of those in authority

Just as you were taught, feeling safe

In the presence of your elders

 

He was careless of your innocence

He was reckless and irresponsible

And he did bad things

 

There was fault

There was shameful behavior

And none of it was yours

Speaking of some things you still can’t tell people, there’s something you still haven’t been able to tell yourself. Write a poem of self-acceptance, looking directly at an issue you’ve long kept buried or ignored. Use the poem as an opportunity to forgive yourself and accept your all-too-human flaws. (This is still a shameless plug.)