The Way You Are (A Poem)

Every Thursday I share with you a poem I love or one I’ve written. Today’s poem is called The Way You Are and is about people who are hiding under layers of bravado and narcissism. I hope you like it.

The Way You Are

You say this is just the way

you are—to which I say no,

no way

the way you are

brings chaos

and destruction

and forces

people into

tears of dread

and regret, no way

the way you are

needs silence

to survive, no way

that is

how this works

who you are

is

hiding.

Strip off

the layers, strip down

to nothing, wear

what you wore before

you knew

how it felt to strip

someone else

of dignity, of power

of clothes, of

her innocence,

before you were told

the way

to come into your power

was to take it

from another

back to

when you

knew

the only way to be

the way you are is to

go home, to strip

yourself

down to nothing,

down to your roots

down under your boots

of bravado, your belt of

fury, your tightly-tied tie

of feigned

innocence

quit pretending to be

so dense

quit wearing your pants half-zipped

go all the way, take

off all your clothes

and there—see! STOP—that

you, that naked and shaking

you—that is who

you are,

so small, so unassuming,

so human, the big, amazing

oz… not

so much but

that is where you’ve

been hiding.

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