I look from within at the world
In which I find myself
In which we find ourselves

I see faces that choose only to recognize parts of me privately
Parts of me publicly
“This is my son Jack, his wife Jill and their darling son Michael”
Uhhh, yeah and this is my sister, Shelly…
And this is Cindy

The validation – the invalidation
The love they choose to ignore
The pain they never see
Relationships validated
Relationships invalidated

The love they publicly ignore
I privately keep for my own
To nurture, to keep me safe
From a world that forces me to
“Peer in from without”