Humiliation

Where you have to come up through
humiliation
To say something
No pride
Licking the floor
so that you can taste the sky
This incrimintating
mind state
must end
Pride
is okay
when you are okay with
who you are
no one else
should
have
the ability
to define
you
So why
is it
that this place
this space
that I live
requires
that I
lick their boots
with my hat
in hand
to speak
my truth?