Self Respect

When I went into hospital
They took away my rights.
I forgot to ask for them back when I left.
I was too confused, I had other things on my mind.
Now I want them back, desperately.
It is easy to regain your rights.
You simply believe you are equal too everyone else.
You regain your dignity, your self respect.
Did I say easy, I meant difficult.
I didn’t regain my rights by thunder and lightning,
More by the gentleness of waves,
Lapping on the sea shore,
By the sweetness and freshness of the gentle breeze,
Swaying the tree tops,
But thunder and lightning followed in their wake.

Self respect is very important.
If I do not respect my madness,
How can I respect others’ madness,
The madness of my friends.
If I do not love myself,
How can I love my friends.
If I do not accept myself, totally,
Warts and all, madness and all,
How can I accept my friends,
Warts and all, madness and all.

The sun shines on us all,
The mad and the so called sane.
It accepts us all totally.
The earth supports us all.
It accepts us all totally.
The sea embraces us all.
The rain refreshes us all.
The night envelops us all, warts and all.
The day awakens us all.
Nature accepts us all, warts and all,
Our sanity and our madness.
God created all, and accepts us all.
Can we reject what God accepts.

It was not God that rejected us,
But so called human society,
The society that has rejected God and Love,
And embraced materialism.
Only see that we do not reject ourselves.

John Exell © 2002