recognise

I feel sorry for you

But sad too

No one ever knew

How weak you felt inside

How tough it was for you to cry

Or show any trace

Of vulnerability

And there was also something

Kind of tragic and sad

About all the posturing you had to do

To hide the deeper truth

Sometimes when I get frustrated or mad

Its hard to see the little child in you

That only longed to be

Accepted and loved

No one knows

How tough it was

For you

As they laugh now

At the things you do

To bolster yourself up

And the last thing you probably need

Is to be taken down

A peg or two

But maybe it might be

The only way you can

Wake up to the truth

Of how scared you often feel

Inside

But don’t forget

To hold that scared self

For you are an adult now

And only you can recognise

How the inner child tries to run from truth

Or gather endless proof

Of its helpless

Innocence

Which only ever once

Was true