13

160

At a time when all anyone wanted was to fit in,

I could not hide in the crowd.

If you cannot blend in,

you must choose to shrink back

or stand out.

 

18

120

I am unafraid.

I am safe.

When I look in the mirror, I see the person

I used to dream of being.

The mirror cannot show me what I am most proud of though.

 

It is not the weight loss,

not my conformity.

I think of that choice, long, long ago,

to be unafraid

to be unapologetic

to be funny, to be smart, to be honest

to be uncaring of the stares

to be accepting of myself

to be confident, to be kind, to be flawlessly me.

 

When I look in myself, I see the person

I worked to become,

unchanged.

 

At a time when all anyone wanted was to fit in,

I chose to be.