Don't just show me your good side

Don’t just show me your good side
by Joel Howard

Don’t just show me your good side
Don’t avoid how you feel
Don’t protect what is hurting
Don’t dismiss what is real

You tend to offer permission
For others to just walk away
Instead of honestly listing
What’s not going your way

I understand that you’re hurting
I have so often felt the same
Not showing up in the negative
Counting yourself as estranged

Like a leper, you exit the city
Isolating your pain and your hurt
Assuming your challenge is contagious
That speaking of it will just make things worse

Pain has a name
Shame has a story
Its not solely yours
But also mine

And your mother’s, your father’s
Your sisters’ and brothers’
And all the lot
Of mankind

Next time you’re tempted with hiding
Remember you’re never alone
It’s a matter of honestly returning
To a place you can truly call home
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