Identity

I am not my uniform.
Neither orange jump suit
Nor county blues and yellows.
Nor hospital gown.
I am not a number
Issued by authorities.
Neither am I what they perceive me to be.
I am not a nickname.
I am not a homie, or a brother,
Or a dude, or a wood.
I am not a player
Nor one played.
I am not a dealer
Nor am I the contents
Of a needle or a pipe.
I am not a test score
A diagnostic evaluation
A website or a google result.
I am not a plus or minus sign
A viral load
Or a phenotype.
I am not a brand
Or a designer label
I am not a label at all.
I am not my even my name
Either borrowed or given at birth.
I am what I am
In the hearts and minds
Of those who know
And love me.
This is all I am             
And all I will ever need to be.

MCO 2004