If only I could portray

My world in its unembellished way

Unadorned, unedited, bare

If stark reality I could share

Ungainly sobs contorting my face

Shrieks of laughter quite out of place

Dancing to a favorite song with abandon

Cracking up at humorous memories random

Maybe, if uninhibited I could thrive

My world would appear much more alive

If I had no worries about the perception

Of others around me, here’s my confession

I would break through the barriers in my mind

Follow my heart, have a disposition kind

But here I am lost, trying to decipher

How to avoid people’s displeasure

I am imperfect in one million ways

The more I obey, the more I face

Criticism that is inconsequential

Distracting me from work essential 

Therefore today I boldly decide

I am who I am, and shall not hide

Behind a beautiful, dishonest facade

I will not let my life be a charade.