My Apology

Should I ever explain myself to you,
Apologise for being who I am?
No – accept me!
I will not alter who I am
So others will think
I am who they want to know,
Who they perceive me to be.

Yet I am capable of changing:
I can evolve and learn,
Alter my perceptions about life,
But I cannot change overnight.
I cannot be
What everyone thinks I should be.
I must stop
Apologising for being myself!

I am harmful to no one,
I accept that everyone
Will not perceive the world
In the same way I do.
So why should I apologise
For my world view?

I embrace myself
Yet I also accept
There are some parts
Of who I am
Which may scare others.
But how can I know you,
Accept the differences
In our world view,
If I do not embrace the person
That I am closest to?
I owe no one an apology
When all I am being
Is myself.

My Apology by Allison Brown is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non-Commercial 2.5 Australia License. Based on a work at allisonbrown.blogspot.com.