Nothing leaves a scar as deep and profound in the soul of a person as rejection.There is no pain greater than not belonging.Stigma is a dysfunctional relationship happening at a downward angle: the scalding brand iron pressed against the different, the hot coals on the head of the dissident, and the horse whip on the independent.Passing searing moral judgment from a core of superiority, oozing its own virtue.It flattens a living, breathing soul down to a stereotype with prescribed values.It traps a multidimensional being as a jack-in-the-box only allowed the occasional halfway out of its container to entertain others. Even more so in the case of stigma applied disingenuously, superficially and in an area where the branded have no personal control in any given outcome.Stigma is by definition the prosecutor, judge and jury.The verdict is always guilty. The sentence is always life without parole.An encourager les autres.Stigma is a collection of predominantly satirical poems that attempt to understand, define, explain and articulate the impact of living and dealing with stigma on a personal level. To restore and maintain balance, sanity, and reason to a heart full of questions. It is an anthology of thoughtful resilience in the face of nagging self-doubt, quiet defiance in confronting assumptions, feisty resistance to an avalanche of ignorance, a personal search for self-respect in a hostile, uncaring world. Fighting the utter despondency of repeatedly being misunderstood and deliberately being misrepresented. Only to be confronted with the multiple biases lurking in the depth of every personal existence and experience. Including your own.In short: To not just escape stigma with dignity intact, but also to repeatedly pick oneself up and deal with the road burn. To learn the lessons that requires learning and move on. To find the freedom to heal.Being wounded, living in pain should be a tent, not a mansion.