I took a stand on politics
and stumbled over what I didn’t know.
I took a stand on religion
and sat down on faith’s accepting openness.
I took a stand on bullying
and faltered on what little I could do to affect this.

I took a stand on person-hood
and knew this was my soapbox
for quiet, important changes.
I choose consciously daily
to make manifest the best
that lives in me.
And on the platform
of this empowering choice
I stand to face any circumstance.

© 2010 Shari Lynne Smothers

Day 22 prompt: Write a poem ‘that takes or makes a stand’; details here from 2010 November PAD Chapbook Challenge