Poem: Words Kindly Meant (but Not)

When people tell me
that I'm strong
that I deal with things
no other people normally would.
I feel like a fraud.

"God gives you
only as much as
you can handle."
What if I can't handle it?

"Bless your heart, dear"
They smile and shake their heads
and do not lift a finger
to help at all.

If I had a penny
for every bit of "advice"
they spouted at me
I would be a billionaire.

I did not choose
who I was, where I was born
my blood family
but I can choose my reactions.

Smile and nod my head
be brusque and tell them
to mind their own business
they can't take my spirit.

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