passion found (a rant)

I have wanted (waited)
for far too long
I have had to plead
for far too much
what I would give
won't be marginalized
as imperfect or ineffectual
the love I have offered
is neither tainted nor damaged
no...what's broken in me
if you can call it "broken"
is my pain threshold (it doesn't exist)
common sense says "stay down"
but I will stand up every time
I will fly in the face of a reality
that would see me alone...
I've made mistakes, to be sure
and I've lived a life of atonement...
so stand in judgment...you win (lose)
it's not a battle I choose to fight
what you seem to know of me
is limited to what you choose to see
I am not bent or broken
I am me...an unknown quantity
a body of love, need, and passion
held together by dreams and hope
so tired of being told that simply...isn't...enough