Behind a thick and icy wall

There shines a blinding light.

The wall was built to shut it out.

For some, it is too bright.

The light longs to embrace itself-

Its brightness to display;

Yet knowing that it irritates,

It longs to fade away.

The walls are words and thoughts of men,

The light- intensity.

Opinions block and hamper the

Intensity of me.

I speak with force and energy,

My words are sharp and true.

My dark and penetrating eyes

Will instantly see through.

I do not mean to cause offense

Or one to misconstrue;

But any who encounter me

Inevitable do.

I hear what other people say

Observing cautiously.

The person they conclude I am,

I don’t intend to be.

The strength grows tall inside of me,

My soul is like the soil.

My nature - still misunderstood,

The people all recoil.

I try to dim the light inside

To please the ones who stare.

Yet when I try to dim my light

I feel the lies I wear.

My light is blinding others eyes;

I’m too intense and free.

Yet changing who I really am

Is too intense for me.

The walls of thoughts confining me

Are shaming me to hide;

Yet nullifying who I am

Is shaming me inside.

Should I deny my real true self

And dim my blinding light?

Exchanging truth for tolerance-

Would rejecting me be right?

Or to myself should I be true

And proudly shine for all?

Unashamed and unabashed

Regardless of the wall.

To know that others disapprove

With no way to atone,

I stand reproached, I stand condemned,

It’s hard to stand alone.

But I cannot deny my light

And change to please the few.

And I cannot repress the strength

That I was born into.

I have to do the hardest thing

And rise above the wall,

Though others think these things of me

They will not make me fall.

This light is mine-was born in me,

I have to let it shine.

Intensity is who I am,

It’s part of my design.

Although I stand alone and judged

And no one understands,

I will not let them blot me out

Or change for their demands.

My light is not too bright for me.

Intensity is fun!

My differences are not a cause

To change for anyone.

Perhaps my light will blind the world,

Or maybe help them see

That life should not be dimly lit-

It needs complexity. 

And maybe I can shed some light

On others in the dark,

Who build up walls to shut out light

With one heedless remark.

My spirit’s strong intensity,

At some point  I will need.

When life is hard and life gets dark,

The light will intercede.

I like to think that someday soon

I’ll meet someone like me.

And we can shine together then-

Combined intensity.