I stand
With my legs shoulder width apart
My arms hanging relaxed by my side
My posture strong
While my feet firmly grip the ground
My head up high
With pride I stand
Tattoos cover both arms like all embracing lace
With some of it stretching to my back
Beyond where your gaze is placed
I wear my heart and history on my permanent sleeves
I am an open book for all to read, yet
You look
And wonder who I am
This is who I am if you must know
Here are the Coles Notes to the person you claim unknown
I am contradiction in the eye of the beholder
Yet one, from where I stand
I am the soft-spoken one who you think is loud
Yet in silence I find my solace and land
I am the homebody who you think is untamed and wild
Yet for eternity at home with one I can spend
I am the thinker who you think don’t give a damn
Yet I thought of your position and walked in your shoes before you even took a step
I am the lover who seems cold at a glance
Yet I have loved and lost more times than I can count
I am the smiling face who you expected last
Yet I smile from a place where you can’t even begin to understand
Now I understand that you don’t understand my stand
And I know you are trying desperately to understand
But you can’t see me or read me
So long as you’re stuck
In your own stance
