I Never Stopped Being Honest

I never stopped being honest,

I just stopped talking.

I didn't ever start lying,

I just stopped clarifying.

When people tell you that

"Honesty is the best policy,"

They don't tell you how people

Will twist your words into

Angry, hurting fists and drive

Them back at the mouth

That spoke them.

I never stopped being honest,

I just stopped opening up.

I didn't ever start lying,

I just didn't see the need to explain.

Because people form biased opinions

Of what you say, and they

Don't listen to what you

Actually say, just what they want to hear.

So don't point fingers and tell me

What I did or didn't say or

What I did or didn't mean.

I never stopped being honest,

I just stopped trying to be heard.

I didn't ever start lying,

I just learned that when people said,

"Be different," they meant

Be like everyone else.

And if you don't, they label you--

Racist, sexist, bigot, liar, narrowminded, odd...

You can't have your own opinion,

You must share in the opinion

Of everyone else.

I never stopped being honest,

And you shouldn't either.

I didn't start lying,

And neither should you.

I have had my head shoved under

The murky water of other's opinions,

But I would never change, would never

Stop the feelings and the words pouring

Out of my soul. Because that is honesty.

To say something just because others

Want you to say it, is

Lying.

I never stopped being honest,

And I didn't start lying.

And I don't plan on starting

Any time soon.