I AM ME

To the changelings of fashion
And the monarchs of the state
Who think I should be thankful
That I should fit a dress size eight

That my hair should be this colour
And the golden tan I fake
Is not from expensive holidays
That I do not choose to take

To everyone who knows me
And everything I do
Would things have been done different
If the spotlight was on you

That I should act improper
And not adhere to rules
That I surround myself with idiots
Criminals and fools

To those who profess to know
How we should live our lives
And are horrified to find
A single woman strive

To keep her maiden name
Or to gain a PHD
That the boundaries of tradition
Could be modified by me

To one who has to live
Through the havoc I create
From the comprehensive teacher
To the sullen reprobate

I dare them now to bask
In my reflected glory
Not to analyse my life
Or to publish my life story

And if the present pass me by
Or the future bears no fruit
If those elusive seeds of knowledge
No longer will take root

In the mind over which one day
I’ll no longer have control
When the body which protects me
Will be without a soul

And if in years to come
My name on lips would be
It would be for one reason only
It would be ‘cos I was me.