Title: To Be and Remain

Yourself

Royal Club for Literature and Peace 

Title: To Be and Remain

Yourself

Kasia Dominik

Title: To Be and Remain Yourself

Is it a single decision,

or a constant choice?

Or perhaps a mirror of everyday life

that reflects the questions:

Who am I, and who do they want me to be?

Sometimes it's standing up to the crowd,

other times it's staying silent when everyone is shouting.

It's saying "yes" to your dreams,

even when the world says "no."

What will you give up?

Perhaps the acceptance of those who look on from the sidelines,

the easy paths that lead nowhere.

The pretense that it doesn't hurt,

when the truth borders on loneliness.

The price is high,

sometimes it's the coldness of empty chairs at the table,

sometimes the laughter that disappears when you turn your back.

But being yourself means having peace in your heart,

the certainty that you haven't betrayed yourself.

It's a fight, the only one that truly makes sense.

Kasia Dominik

(Poland)

documentation: Waffaa Badarneh