No cosmic orphan

“I will take my rightful place on stage

and I will be myself.

I am not a cosmic orphan.

I have no reason to be timid.

I will respond as I feel;

awkwardly, vulgarly,

but respond.

I will have my throat open,

I will have my heart open,

I will be vulnerable.

I may have anything or everything

the world has to offer, but the thing

I need most, and want most,

is to be myself.

I will admit rejection, admit pain,

admit frustration, admit even pettiness,

admit shame, admit outrage,

admit anything and everything

that happens to me.

The best and most human parts of

me are those I have inhabited

and hidden from the world.

I will work on it.

I will raise my voice.

I will be heard.”

-Elia Kazan