I made the mistake
Of assumption
Believed he was like me
Wanting truth
An appreciator of genuine
So I gave him what I myself
Wanted in return
I gave him all my past
Every regret
Every fear
Every pain
Every mistake
I didn't water them down
I didn't conceal them
I surrendered all the ugliness
I became vulnerable
Nakedly human
Just with the hope to be known; loved
In spite of that humanity
I gave him the authentic me
I am proud of that
It took a courage I had to dig deep for
It took character that I had always admired when I had seen it in others
In the end
He used all of that
To form an opinion of me
Not one of who I had become
But of who I used to be
He failed to recognize the value in transparency
What little truth I was shown of him
I accepted
His failings were as many as mine
And I was just glad to know them
I consider it my gain
To have been judged unrightly
To have been shamed unjustly
To have been betrayed
To have been fooled
It taught me a little more about myself
It taught me that
I do not want facades anymore
That life is not a costume party
And that those who wear masks
Are not my people
My people are harder to find
But well worth the seeking