Nature

I'm at home here.

Here where the light glows green though leaves that dance with the slightest breeze,
changing patterns a thousand times as the sun travels through the day.

Where the fire's smoke finds the quickest path through the towering maple and spruce, wrapping itself around the moss covered branches like an attentive lover,

making its way to the open sky and to all that is God.

I belong here. 

Here where the sun caresses my skin with its warmth and the mosquito bites without discrimination or judgement.

I am a part of it all; intertwined, interconnected;

my interaction just as appropriate and welcome as a gust of wind,
or a spray of sparks, 

flying up into the night sky.

Adaptation

I am not like you.
I do not fit in your world.
My life has shaped me into something different than what you expect,
than what you allow.

I am a perfect reflection of the life I’ve lived.
I have learned many things that you will never know unless you can see me as someone who has gained wisdom from their experiences.

I am capable of reason, intelligent thought,
and yes, even unselfish love;
even if I still have wounds that are in need of healing and care.

My injuries are those obtained from being told over and over again that I am not worthy,
that I cannot participate,
that my differences are not welcome in this world.
And my wellness has everything to do
with denying what I've been told.

Your insistence that I be like you to fit in
only adds to the injuries I need to heal from.

I do not need your sympathy;
I need your acceptance.
I need to be treated as a welcome part of the whole because of my differences, not despite them.
Letting me into your world doesn't count as a welcome
if I am the only one expected to change.