The Sun in Your Chest

When your mind pulls you into the darkness of doubt, I hope you ignite the unlit wick of your heart. After all that life has thrown your way—the loss, the failure, the heartbreak—have you allowed the wildfire buried in your chest to be reduced to a candle flame? I often marvel at how so much life can be contained by your delicate skin. I hope when you reflect you see that not a single drop of time has been wasted in any breath you have taken. Many of our hearts have become unlit wicks, but for those who remember the entire sun is within them, you’ll feel the joy in every word that spills from their lips. They treat the earth as a drum beneath their dancing feet. They never grip tightly to any outcome, knowing life always brings them what they need.

Patterns Passed Down

I walked a mile in my ancestors’ shoes

And felt all my mother and her mother had been through

Generations of women to be seen and not heard

Our inherited beliefs told us to hustle for our worth

Many lives had to be lived for me to be born

Their experiences are encapsulated in my cells

As I become aware of my past trauma, I repair what has been torn

These patterns end with me so my future daughter

Does not have the same story to retell

To the Weird Ones

And if numb is the new normal, then let me be the weird one. Let me be so moved that the simple sight of dawn breaks the silence of my soul in celebration. Let me become a blank canvas for life to paint on, for I am no longer interested in drawing perfect lines to live trapped within. Let me be forever changed by the stories that tumble from your trembling lips. Let me walk down the streets feeling naked from the inside out because I am no longer covering up who I am. Let me feel all of it. The raw and chaotic richness of life because normal would forever steal the light that dances in my eyes.

Masks

Last night I felt a heaviness in my chest

As the weight of our memories pressed upon my body

I asked Gravity to go bother someone else,

And she said, “If it is levity that you seek,

Unmask your sadness

And you will find anger

Unmask your anger

And you will find pain

Unmask your pain

And you will find joy.”

I asked her if it was truly so simple, and she said,

“The problem is that most people forget they are wearing a mask to begin with.”

Make Peace with Your Pieces

One day, she realized she could not outrun her shadow

She brought it in front of her where she could see it

“Why are you so dark?” she asked