Admittedly

In hindsight and 
with the kind 
of pain that 
only comes late 
in the night 
I finally admitted 
that the valor 
that I’d embraced 
so many years 
ago that selflessness 
was somehow better
than being selfish 
then I blamed 
others for taking 
advantage of me 
so I set
out to be 
selfish with myself 
at long last 
and generous to 
those I choose 
and not everyone 
and that little 
shift has made 
all the difference