National Poetry Month 6/30

4.6.17

I will not parade my pain
     on a stage for you
I will not make a mockery
     of my misery
for voyeurs looking to get off
My history wasn't meant to be
     scored on a rubric
My tears were not meant to be
     validated by an audience

No

I will not parade my pain
     on a stage for you
This stage
This venue
This theater
This house
this is my temple
my holy place

This is where I come
     to commune with goddess
this is not an office
you are not my therapist

I will give you every ounce of
love
     grit
          fight
                 flaw
                       light
but I will not give you my pan
that burden belongs only to me

So no, I will not parade my pain
     on a stage for you
I will not send you home
with comparison notes
I am not looking for acceptance
I don't need validation
This work isn't about me
This work isn't for me
This work
    is greater than my personal narrative
I don't step to the mic seeking approval

I am merely a vessel, here on this stage
the cries you hear in my throat are not mine
they come from another place
Stories I was destined to tell
You were destined to hear
but let this one thing be clear

I will not parade my pain
     on this stage for you