this transition
this phase
not the worst - maybe the best
could the kid have resurfaced
if not first folded into deep rest

Do I finally trust myself enough to be happy again?
Why have I allowed this inner critic to roam free?
How do I argue with the walls it built from solitude?
What made me choose guaranteed misery over the risk of being hurt?

Now I see its need to protect me.
Give it a seat at the table, listen, it's losing influence.
Numbness, the friend that always shows up.
Yes. Risk being seen, I'm done hiding.

If you only knew
how your eyes and mind still glow
I'm never alone