FREE VERSE: "WHO AM I?" BY RICHARD

I am standing in silence, measuring myself,


Using words of a growing doubt as my yardstick,


I shrink, for I am scared my light is too low,


Yet it fills the empty room with brightness.

I am dressed, clothed within my uncertainty,

Alone in a confidence that wears a second skin,
Questioning the importance of my worth,
As if my whole existence has been borrowed.

I am strength spoken in the eyes of others,
Yet I fail to claim my courage before it ferments.
I am a fallen voice before those who know me,
As I am frightened that all could be taken back.

I must stop looking inwards with a broken mirror,
And allow my gaze to reflect my true thoughts,
My value was never missing; it was buried,
Hidden beneath the many layers of hesitation.

So who am I?
I am becoming, a recognition, a revolution within.
And maybe, just maybe, I am exactly who they see,
Only now, I am learning to see what they see in me too.

© RICHARD OYIBO 

The Passionate Poet

- Britain 

The poem explores the speaker’s struggle with self-doubt and identity, showing how they underestimate their own worth despite being seen as strong by others. It reflects an internal conflict between insecurity and hidden potential. Ultimately, the poem moves toward self-realization, as the speaker begins to recognize and accept their true value.