I have to live with myself, and so,
I want to be fit for myself to know;
I want to be able as days go by,
Always to look myself straight in the eye;
I don’t want to stand with the setting sun
And hate myself for the things I’ve done.
I don’t want to keep on a closet shelf
A lot of secrets about myself,
And fool myself as I come and go
Into thinking that nobody else will know
The kind of man I really am;
I don’t want to dress myself up in sham.
I want to go out with my head erect,
I want to deserve all men’s respect;
But here in this struggle for fame and pelf (informal term for money),
I want to be able to like myself.
I don’t want to think as I come and go
That I’m bluster and bluff and empty show.
I never can hide myself from me,
I see what others may never see,
I know what others may never know,
I never can fool myself- and so,
Whatever happens, I want to be
Self-respecting and conscience free.
I want to be self-respecting too. Sometimes I feel it’s too late. I think I’m a very emotional person. I take let down very hard. I hate letting down my mom or anyone else. It makes me want to cry. It can be for even the littlest thing like I forgot to fold the towels or I didn’t get home on time to make her dinner, or I didn’t finish cleaning so now she has to take time to help. I know my aunts think she’s crazy when she complains about me I’ve seen how hard life has been on her and I really want to help and be something that is not a burden on her. I do a lot more than other kids my age. I help pay for groceries or things we need. I pay for my own stuff. I clean the house and do the cooking. It’s been this way for a few years now. I never get paid because it’s not chores. It’s part of survival, part of living in a house rent free, part of being a family. It’s funny because other kids can grow up in my life and turn out completely different. They can be a brat, or troublemaker, or a complete angel. I don’t know why some value our own integrity more than others. I self criticize a lot because I know what I am now decides how my future will be later when I am on my own, have no where to run and hide from the world. Just from choices I made before or bad stuff just happening to me, it was hard to focus on anything, hard to sleep at night, hard to be mean to everyone around me. I want to be at ease with myself, not frustrated. I want to be a person that is trusted, but for now seems I can’t trust myself. I don’t even have enough will power to stop eating so much junk food.
Secretes really do separate you from people. My secretes make me hard to feel like I’m really close to anyone or be able to trust anyone. I hate the feeling of being scared or ashamed because I think someone might know something about me. I think the way to fame or friends is with yourself first. Self-confidence is key. I know that people who walk self-confident look more ladylike or pretty in a way. People seem to be lest critical of you when you’re confident about your own actions.
For some reason I really like this poem. It gets to me. It’s like yaw I want that too but I don’t have it. If something where to happen… I’d hate to hear what everyone said about me at my funeral, what’s said in gossip. I guess really I don’t want anyone to have anything to gossip about. I’m like that. As much as I like gossip I can’t stand hearing my friends do it on something irrelevant like on appearance. I don’t much like it on actions. But honestly I do like hearing what is up with everyone. Guess it’s the only way to keep up with people because they don’t share their life much.
Wow. this is a really interesting and motivating poem.
Its true, people will see only what you want them to see, but you know exactly who you are and what you have done both good and bad. You know everything and if you can live with that than it is not affecting your conscious but if you have any feeling of regret or uneasiness with a decision you made, it probably wasnt the correct one for you to make. Everyone wants self-respect, but you must first respect yourself before people will respect you.
i can remember when i was younger and even now my grandma will tell me just about daily to remember the “3 C’s” and to act and speak with them in mind. The “3 C’s” being character, conscious, and i forgot the last one (but my point lies in the fist and second one)”. You are the only one who knows everything about you and only you can decide what is wrong and right, therefore make the decisions that are correct, self-respecting, and leave you conscious free.
The poem is pretty trippy man. I like how it says “I can never hide myself from me…”. Everyone has things about themselves they don’t want others to know, whether it be past or present. Lying can only get you so far as you yourself still know the truth, and there’s no hiding from that truth. Self-respect is very important because if you have no respect for yourself, who should respect you? The sad thing is, there are many people that go through life with little respect for themselves because all they want is respect from others; people may do things they regret only for acceptance and approval from their peers. This is why i like this poem; its basically saying who the fuck cares what your peers say or do, just do whatever you need to do in-order to be able to live with yourself.
IThis poem is a pretty kickass poem. It influences people to be at rest with yourself and motivate yourself. Like Ryan said, everyone has their own skelatons in their closet that they don’t want people to know about. This poem also sounds like a promiss he being made to himself. That no matter what he will succede, even when times get tought. He doesnt give a shit about what people say. Just like naruto and his nija way, Believe it.