Wet, red eyes, tired body - left behind

I was born as an ugly duckling,

wandered into the wrong nest and thought negatively about myself.

Others were beautiful, outstanding and praised,

On the other hand I was shunned.

I changed myself to match others,

But I was always lagging behind.

Left behind in the dreary rain weather -

Walking in the pouring rain.

Walking in puddles and looking at my reflection in them,

I questioned myself.

Wondered who I really was,

Always following the flow of others because I was scared to be alone,

Scared to be different.

Tears streamed down my cheeks,

My voice and pain were unseen and unheard.

Is this the end for the ugly duckling that did not fit in?

No, it was not -

I was more scared of not being able to walk on my own,

Not being able to find my own path.

The rain stopped and a ray of sunlight caressed me.

The sky was clear - no thunder clouds in sight,

Only white clouds that looked like fluffy pillows.

The clear blue sky that was as vast as the sea.

Everything was clear and beautiful,

And on the other side of the horizon,

It was my own very special surprise.

A Rainbow -

Full of many different colors..

Starting from purple to the lightest shade of yellow

Suddenly, a fire was lit inside of me,

I wanted to change who I was and become who I want to be.

To be able to do that I did the things I wanted to do and ignored the "eyes".

I noticed the brilliance in me.

The brilliance never showed because I hung out with the wrong people.

The people that always put me down and never tried to understand.

Never had they seen the real me.

I changed from an ugly duckling into a beautiful white swan.

My wings could spread wider than the other ducks.

I have grown and understood more of myself and I have given up on following others.

I became my own person,

I followed my dream and goals.

I was determined, confident, persistent and yet along the way I was caring for others.

Others like me,

That made me flawless.

I was able to become strong, yet at the same time care for others.

I had created my own path,

I became confident in the things I do and most of all..

My voice and pain were heard from others after being able to change from the quiet ugly duckling to the beautiful white swan.