Bruised

Men with bruised egos are like children with bruised knees.
Afraid to fall, always whining.

But I'm not a man.

I may have an ego that is bruised, but I don't get to whine.
For, if I whine, the world will look. If they look, they'll notice. They'll notice what it is to be reckless. They'll notice what it is to be unworthy.

When a man whines about his ego, it is seen as vulnerability. A sign of how everyone is human. Everyone is flawed.
But when I whine, it will be seen as the end of everything I have worked for.

My standing does not allow me to be vulnerable. My standing does not allow me to be human.

And in this hour filled with dilemma, all I can hear are the words of my people,

"In this moment, you can be a victim, or a powerful queen. Whether you choose to be powerful or vulnerable is how you will be remembered in history. Choose wisely."

And that's when I know, my power may allow me to be something close to God for all, but never something nearly close to what it is to be human.