text message from me to the person who inspired this poem
Maybe I was captious in thinking you wanted sex but you were really depressed and needed help I was moody and tired and couldnβt be bothered so I turned off my phone and wanted to be alone I thought it was no big deal to not get back on our idiot ferris wheel and now I hope itβs not too late and prioritizing myself wasnβt a mistake because I couldnβt stand the thought of you harming yourself be my fault
There are so many stories within me aching to get out every single one wants to be a priority but which one do I pick first most are dramatic, some are angry and sad, a few are happy and lovely every story is important in a life full of chaos and trauma I donβt know why I attract so much drama So Iβm going to tell each story Because I own everything thatβs happened to me Because Iβm finally taking myself seriously
weβre procrastinating our end not wanting to face the consequences of our doomed relationship so we keep wasting our time pretending weβre fine putting a bandaid of sex on our petty conflicts and keep using each other as blankets for our loneliness instead of being grown ups and admit how our love is no longer worth any effort
slaying every day with my hard work ethic and my paper and pen
What is the last thing you learned?
Learning to uncensor myself was a hard process I always walked on eggshells for the comfort of others Said yes when I wanted to say no Toned myself down for fear of being too much Accommodated constantly to keep the peace Cut off pieces of myself to make myself digestible But I got too old and tired of hiding who I really am of continuing to pretend to be something Iβm not or never will be so I chose to stop hiding the real me whoβs loud and dramatic whoβs crazy and creative whoβs moody and depressed who βs a beautiful and majestic Incan Queen
I had forgotten this poem I wrote in 2002 when I was going through something pretty hard.
Iβve fallen out of- Iβm no longer yours to- I keep trying to find the right words to tell you Iβm done with βusβ but everytime I try it all feels so inadequate and I fall under a blanket of shame and guilt and I canβt go through with it
How has a failure, or apparent failure, set you up for later success?
I used to think I was the poster girl for failure I’m a failure at love, I’m a failure at life, Iβm a failure at everything but all of these are thoughts of a past version of me the version of me who saw herself as a victim the version of me who took comfort in her misery in my middle age I changed that narrative I no longer see myself as a failure I see myself as a person who makes mistakes whoβs deeply flawed, who has caused pain itβs doesnβt make me a loser or a disaster It makes me a human whoβs trying her best to live her life and sometimes that doesnβt always look pretty I now see failure as stepping stone,a learning curve to continue to grow, to continue to evolve to become better and healthier than Iβve been before
in order to grow, we must lose parts of ourselves that hold us back from reaching our potential
saying goodbye to the version of me I used to be was uncomfortable and agonizing even as I lost her in parts first came the extra pounds and inches I ran off from the curvy girl who used food as comfort and for a while a stranger stared at me from the mirror as I wondered where my cleavage went or how my waistline got so small then came the spectator and the passenger I lost as I gained confidence and power in sharing my truth, in sharing my art and I became the main character and the driver of my own life finally I lost the princess who held onto others for safety, who relied on others for acceptance and love-she left on a windy October day when she conquered a phobia that haunted her for 15 years saying goodbye to the version of me I used to be was uncomfortable and agonizing but she couldnβt stay around if I wanted to grow, to evolve, to become the mother my children always deserved, to become the woman I always wanted to be
I want to be soft again and fall in love without thinking that feels like a special kind of freedom to share the burdens with someone to share the laughter with someone to share a unique kind of love with someone but my heart is locked under a fortress and I refuse to let anyone in because in all honesty I don’t think I could stand the pain again when another lover leave suddenly and I’m left again with the shards of my heart to put them back together and carry on
My solitude comforts me and completes me this much tranquility is a gift I thought being alone meant wearing a misery crown Instead I found serenity and calm I found a love I thought was impossible self compassion and self love fill the void within to care only for myself is a blessing And I need to stay like this for a while anything else feels too draining being alone feels like the ultimate prize in this beautiful thing called life
Last day of 40 and it feels like the longest year of my life My 4th decade started with the miracle of what I thought was true love But nope-it was another story of disillusionment and loss growth and progress became the theme in my 40th year I beat a 15 year driving phobia and made art from heartbreak and trauma and Iβm no longer scared to live my truth out loud with my family, friends, and my online community I also learned I was enough and complete by myself and never needed someone to validate my existence And as year 40 closes,Iβm amazed by my creativity and resilience and how time and time again I turn my trauma and grief into the ultimate comeback story For year 41,I hope to continue to thrive with calm and tranquility and enjoy the magic I found within