I stood alone,
On the outside, looking in.
Never good enough.
The odd peg outside an already completed circle.
Nothing but the constant reminders,
Of my fundamental flaws,
Life companions I never asked for.
Imagine my surprise,
When you turned from the circle.
And took my hand.
A beacon, a ray of light and hope,
A tiny opening in the circle,
Purpose-built, just for me.
In your acceptance, I flourished,
A phoenix from the ashes,
I rose to touch the sun,
Almost.
And the circle closed,
As fast as it opened,
Shut again,
Shattering me as the gate slammed
Sidelong glances,
whispers and lies,
Tales of my cardinal sins
Well known to all but me,
Smirking giggles anticipate my tears.
But they're not forthcoming,
I will not cry,
I am not sad,
I rejoice.
Not for my time with you,
But for the education
The truth.
Back on the outisde,
I look in again,
And the view isn't quite the same,
It's darker, dimmer now,
A sad, needy mess,
Crippled by insecurity,
Ever threatened by integrity and true inner strength,
And most of all,
By me.
The lonely outsider
Like the rarest of diamonds,
Shines brighter without you,
And you know it.
About the Creator
Misty Rae
Retired legal eagle, nature love, wife, mother of boys and cats, chef, and trying to learn to play the guitar. I play with paint and words. Living my "middle years" like a teenager and loving every second of it!
Reader insights
Outstanding
Excellent work. Looking forward to reading more!
Top insight
Heartfelt and relatable
The story invoked strong personal emotions
Comments (7)
Wow! Shinning with your writing as usual 💖 xx
This made me feel so much. So glad you shine like you do!
Love it. Glad to see your work on Vocal. You can tell a strong woman wrote this poem 💕
Fabulous and exquisitely written!!! Love it!!!💕❤️❤️
Lovely and constrained with sadness
Remember you only have to be good enough for you. I remember this feeling, like yesterday. A fantastic poem, very expressive, with lots of truths.
Excellent Misty!!! I can relate to this!!!