Am I a Victim?
Am I a victim
When I blame others
For not seeing who I am;
For being too careful in
Their approach
For not understanding
My language
For assuming
I am less than they
When I lay down at night
And imagine being put away
In some institution
When I torture myself
At not being quick enough
To use technology; to answer
Questions; to find whatever
I think I have lost
This must be a symbol of victimhood
Must I defend myself
With platitudes about
Poetry
Work
My many relationships
My long walks
My determined conversations
I am hesitant to
Ask others to wait;
To not hurry.
The urgency
To keep up when everybody
Else is running, yet the truth is
I don’t miss much of anything.
Why must I still act the part?
At last, someone said “STOP”
Fight for what you want;
Who you are.
Reach for others besides yourself.
STOP the blame.
The courage to decide:
I AM NOT A VICTIM
The decision to live
different
I have no more time to waste
I am not alone.
Silver Spring, Maryland, USA
Reprinted from the e-mail discussion list for RC Community members
(Present Time 203, April 2021)