"No" Is a Complete Sentence

I make my own decisions,
and explanations,
justifications, apologies
are seldom needed.
I have the right to choose,
and when I do, a simple yes or no
meets all criteria.
I have nothing to explain,
no softening the blow,
to make you feel good about it.
When I say no, I’m looking out for myself,
refusing to gossip, independently able to think.
I may do what I choose so long as not cheating,
not breaking rules, not the decision made
for years of crises to come.
I have the right to decide
no matter what my education, my prestige.
I have the right to say no without explanation,
all on my own, without feelings of inadequacy
and refusal to practice my own disease.
I have the right to get in the car
and drive away with a simple “No”
as all the explanation needed.