This is not an apology,

I stand here for the world to see.

When life tried to hold me down, I got up off my knees. 

The scars that I bear,

that you cannot see,

do not define me. 

I wear them proudly on my sleeve,

like battle scars.

Proof that you can overcome adversity

and craniofacial anomalies.

Instead of breaking, I bent.

To school and work, I went.

Moving forward and pushing back,

I refuse to crack,

from the pressure of each setback.

Like a phoenix, I will rise.

This is my rallying cry.