Slow to emerge from the long shadows And still brushing off the cobwebs of shame, doubt, and fear I begin to wonder what awaits me Who awaits me
The question nauseates me I'm not ready to open my heart Nor do I expect to be ready any time soon And yet I find myself wondering Will there be another My heart fearfully whispering, "Will I get a second chance?"
I'm not ready to fall in love again I am only longing for the magic of falling The elation that comes from feeling seen Feeling chosen Because all I wanted for so long Was to feel chosen To be enough
I am working to remember how to love me How to be enough for myself How to appreciate my perfect imperfections How to forgive the choices I made to survive I must become reacquainted with me
My future is tabula rasa Full of possibilities Bursting with opportunity to craft a life I want to live And blessed with time to heal from a life I endured I embrace my next chapter gratefully Even as my knees quake with each step forward
My blank slate has its first word: freedom Its second word: peace I think that's a beautiful place for a new story to start
I have coated my boundaries in sacred salt Saged the walls of my mind Served healing teas to my soul Soaked my dreams in moon water Calmed my spirits with lavender sachets
I have removed the “welcome” mat from my doorstep Hung a horseshoe above my threshold Covered my aura in layers of steel Cut the cord with silver shears All to reclaim myself from you
She’s not beautiful She’s a bloodied beast A bold, brassy, badass Bravely battling brash bandits Bone-weary from the bullshit Burdened and burnt out Building a budding new self Walking away from brutality Becoming balanced Banishing bad habits from her bones Barefoot upon the earth and beaming Beginning a brand new bountiful life
I have worn my tear stains like war paint The flush of agony, despair, and rage, too I have unleashed keening so potent The gods stopped to answer With a path to deliverance
I read, “and in the end, all I learned was how to be strong alone.”
I disagree.
In the end, I have learned that living a kind and authentic life earns you connections with good people with big hearts who are willing to catch and hold you when you fall.
Strength cannot exist without vulnerability. You only have to be alone if you choose to shut the world out.
Be willing to be vulnerable. Be willing to ask for help. Be more willing to receive help. Build a loving village.
You don’t have to be alone to be strong. Being alone is a choice, not a consequence.
Do onto others as you wish to be done onto This is the call Cast off the shackles of Abuse Neglect Mistreatment Harm The scars that mar your ancestors The scars that mar you The greatest gift given in life Free will Wield it like a craftsman Hold it like a pen and Rewrite your story Erase the patterns from your pages Show your children that you Can reshape the stars in the sky Show them how to heal in the light of the moon And the bright beacon of day No future is written in stone No fate inevitable Let it begin here By deciding the pain of the past Ends here
Words Wishes and Wisdom 