Too easy to expect respect
When you can’t respect yourself

Too easy to ask for love
When you can’t love yourself

Too easy to blame others
When you can’t forgive yourself

Too easy to treat others
As you would like to be treated yourself

But such is the counsel of fools
We are different
You might hate what I like
I might hate what you like

We are imperfect, flawed
Yet beautiful nonetheless
Mistake will follow on from mistake
Despite our best intentions – our best guess

We might not love ourselves enough
Yet we can talk – converse
And regardless of the pain that comes
Touch that light – that essence between us

We might not learn self-respect
But with eggshells strew the path
Whereon others cut their souls
And leave us facing a lonely hearth

We might not feel we can change
Nor face the hurt – the fear
But if we can learn its shape
We might find it easier to bear

But don’t expect others
To give you
What you cannot
Give yourself.

© Charles Tolman May 2016