Unapologetically Me

How sad would it be, to live a life that’s not for me,

To make myself seem less, more slight, so I don’t dim another’s light

How sad would it be, to live a life that’s not for me,

to always wear a practised face, while truth dissolves without a trace

How sad would it be, to live a life that’s not for me

To place their joy above my own, and keep my quiet dreams unknown

How sad would it be, to live a life that’s not for me

To silence every inner call, to build my cage and fear it all

But sadder still, I think, would be, to never claim the life in me

To dim my light, to shrink, to bend, and let that be me in the end

So maybe sad is not the way, but rather brave to choose to stay

In truth, in growth, in all I am, unfolding still, without a plan