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.)