More Humble Than I Am Poem by Margaret Alice Second

Spiritualists claim we chose our own lives;
whenever you tell me to shut up, I wonder
why I chose a life in which I would never be
heard, not allowed to express anger at all

Making me balloon in my frustration- the only
reasonable explanation I can find is so that it
would force me to write; when I try to explain
my ideas you turn away in disgust, and

It is your right – teaching me it is my duty to
turn away from you too - otherwise I would
have been so content in a Candide-world
living in the best universe conceivable

I would not have had any other desire than
to enjoy the touch of my beloved sun, feel
the soft, misty caress of rain on my face,
while venturing out like Jane Eyre - but

My having chosen to live by doing translation
which smothers the soul while teaching art
of writing well, and a partner who teaches
self-effacement, shows that although

I am a bad person (in their eyes) , at least I
have high ideals - to grow more humble
than I am & gifts like watching Belle’s
Enchanted Tales and Despicable Me

Because if I had company, I would not
have retreated – though I might have,
in any case, no one can tell – and
what I gain is so valuable!


Candide – French novel by Voltaire
Belle Disney Channel – Beauty and the Beast
Despicable Me – Animation 2010