I want to find my highest self
I want to shine
I want to love freely and express fully
to be so unapologetically blinding
they will question why
why don’t they let themselves
sparkle as brightly
I want to make people feel things
the nice feelings they were convinced
they were not allowed to feel
in this small space
I am learning to be more me
living should not be overshadowed
by the fear of taking up space
living should not feel like suffering
live deliciously
What do you say to the child,
gazing skyward with innocent eyes,
only to witness the heavens tainted
by the sight of white phosphorus
in place of the clouds?
What do you say to the child,
whose playground echoes
the haunting symphony of explosions
where once there was laughter?
How do you console the tender heart
of the child whose limbs, once dancing in joy,
now bear the scars of amputation?
Whose body stands as a brutal momento
of a conflict they never asked for?
For those who live occupied,
what solace can be offered?
Do you speak of resilience amidst genocide,
or promise them a future beyond the smoke?
What bedtime stories should you tell
to a child who may be rubbled in their sleep?
What tales of bravery and liberation
can you weave amidst the tattered threads
of their father’s bloodied keffiyeh?
What weight do your words carry
in the hearts of those who know too well
the taste of murder and displacement?
Perhaps you say nothing at all,
for words may falter
in the face of such injustice.
Still, the voice of the oppressed reverberates,
chanting a defiant anthem,
spoken in the language of those
who demand to be heard.
Maybe her cheating was the best thing that’s ever happened to me. Maybe my relationship failing was actually a blessing. Maybe the pain I’m feeling is how the universe is protecting me from something that ultimately would have held me back.
Maybe where I am right now is exactly where I’m supposed to be.
I still can’t understand it yet, why things had to play out the way they did. But I know one day, I’ll step back and see it all so clearly.
How that love had to end so better ones could begin. How my life had to fall apart so greater things could come together.
How what I thought I wanted was nothing compared to what I ultimately received.
So, I’ll try to keep my heart open. I will honour the journey that’s brought me here, and trust the unknown path ahead.
I’ll be okay.
My story is unfolding beautifully.