I feel like a
Lost compass
Spinning out of control
Not knowing where
True north is

I graduated from
university today

I want to thank my parents,
My friends, and everyone else
Who helped me to get here

But most of all I want to thank
My past selves for not giving up
Despite everything

This achievement is dedicated
to the
10 year old who continued on
Despite not knowing what tomorrow looked like
To the
16 year old who lost sleep thinking
About the future
And what it holds

Girls,
By God's grace
We made it!
I'm sure one day
I'll be thanking
my 22 year old self
As well!

They don't need the latest technologies or toys

They need their parents' undivided attention
They need moments of uncontrollable laughter over something silly
They need to feel safe despite the chaos happening outside

They need beautiful memories with their family not with their devices

We need to stop
telling young children
that their worth comes
from the letters
on their report card

Too many children
are slowly
killing themselves
trying to measure up
to society's
unrealistic expectations

The world tells me
That I need to be tough
And cold
To make it in this
Ruthless world

I don’t want that for myself
Cause I know what loneliness
Feels like
I have no intention of
Going through
That again

Why do people describe tranquility
As stillness?
There is no stillness
It's just a concept
Your mind concocted

Look around:
The nature is busy
Do you see ants stop?
Do you see birds stand still?
Do you think air stops moving?

If you wait for stillness
You'll be waiting a long time
Find peace in the busyness
It exists trust me
You just need to look for it

I’m always afraid of the worst
The fear just churns in my head
Fuelling more of my anxious thoughts
It’s an unfortunate cycle
That I’m desperately trying to break

Wind has such range:
It is gentle enough
To make a hot day better
Or
Strong enough
To wreck havoc

I think people are the same
Each capable of both extremes

I used to be terrified
of lightning and thunder
when I was younger.
The bright bursts of light
the loud sounds
were too much to handle
for my frightened mind.

Now that I am older
I have learned to love them.
They are evidence of how
beautiful and poweful
Mother Nature is.

I understand why
Romanization of death
Exists
The world is so exhausting
That death seems like a
better option

However, I wonder
What made life
So mundane and empty
That we seek to
Escape it?

Some days
You just need
To take a
Long nap
To reset your
tired brain

It's starting to wear off;
The excitement and yearning
It's more of a residual
Longing for those feelings

As time progresses
It will be an afterthought
Of emotions I had
Once upon a time

I think I finally know
What I mean by
“I need peace”

It’s not that I want things to stop
Because let’s face it
They never will

It’s more peace of mind
To accept the
Chaos and
learn thrive in it

I think everyone is being haunted
Maybe not by something supernatural
But something more sinister:
Regrets
Missed opportunities
and
the choking sensation of their fear

When I was younger
I always thought
My family loved each other
Not unrealistically like in the movies
But more in their humanly
And flawed way

But now that I am older
I wonder if it was love at all
It all feels like an illusion
To cover up the rotten core
Of greed and pride

You deserve the best in life
Regardless of how much
You have
Failed or disappointed
Yourself

You have an impact on this world
Even if you do not see it
Someone somewhere
Is happy knowing
You're on this planet

Keep taking it one day
At a time

Love,
Me

Sleep is a nice break from reality
And therefore very addictive
Especially if you feel more at home
There than in reality

I create clutter
In my head and around me
When I'm stressed
Because I have no energy
To clean it up

As the clutter increases,
My frustration increases with it
Until I can no longer function
Till I clean it up

How long before I finally
learn the lesson
To take care of myself?

It’s hard to see
everyone fit in while
you’re an odd jigsaw puzzle
Be patient!
You fit in with God
And the beautiful community
He provides

When looking at old pictures
Look at the eyes
They convey so many emotions

I see a little kid who's
eyes are sparking
like a diamond

What do I need to do
to get that child like
happiness again?

Everything seems gray
Like tasteless
Zero motivation
To move or to do anything

Why do I feel this?
Why so tired and disoriented?

I don't understand
Why some people
Have different opinions
the pandemic or climate change?

Since when did we
start having opinions
on facts?
When did we start
Picking and choosing
Our realities?

Why are humans
Divided in race, ethnicity,
****** orientation, or gender?

Why can't we be united
In our brokenness?
Every single one of us is broken
Not in the same way or from
But still broken

This quality should unite us,
But why does this
Always draw a wedge
Between us

You stand there and laugh
At your pedestal  
As if you’re better than me
But are you?

We both come from dirt
And will be dirt.

I didn’t want to let it go
To be honest
I wanted it to work

But banging on a closed door
Only put splinters  
In my hands

There is something special
About listening to
Calming music
As you're falling asleep

Your soul
Can freely float
As you rest
Underneath

The wet, luscious emerald grass
dancing joyfully in the wind.
A little girl rejoices.
Her yellow dress shines
in the bright sunlight.

She takes a step,
with her dusky bare foot.
The cold water touched her.
With courage,
she took another step.

Before she knew,
she was running free,
as a wild horse.
Her black hair
softly flying behind.

Eventually, she sat down,
in the middle of a multicolored field.
Looking around at the
awe-inspiring beauty of nature.

Closing her big brown eyes,
she looked up
stretching her arms
as if embracing the sun.

She thought.
"Why can't time stop?"

She laid awake on her bed,
twenty years later
with her big brown eyes,
now filled with worry
still wondering the same question,
"Why can't time stop?"

I don't hate you
You were my favorite person
Growing up

I'm just disappointed in how
Different you are
From what I remembered

Perfection is a characteristic
That is force fed to us
A characteristic we must
Die trying to achieve
But why?

No human before me
Has been perfect
Why do they expect
It to start from me?

When monsters are gnawing
At your heart
It is so easy to surrender
Trust me I've lost that fight
Many times and
Regretted it every time

But it only takes one minute
Of courage
To stand up and fight
Trust me it can be draining
But you'll thank yourself
Later

My grandparents house
was a safe haven,
A space where
Time nor stress
existed

A place filled with
My grandmothers
Stories of birds
And princesses
That lulled me
Into peaceful
Sleep

A place filled with
memories of
Eating mangoes,
And popsicles
with My grandfather
On hot summer days

I am learning that self-pity
Is a dangerous thing
That must never
Be allowed into your mind

It might be comforting
In an unusual way
But in reality
It's slowly poisoning
Your mind

Two containers:
One empty, the other full
Will both make noise
When dropped

Similarly with people
Everyone has an opinion
But you must know
Which one is worth listening to

When I was younger
I thought I
Craved attention
But in reality I just
Wanted to be acknowledged
By the people I cared about,
Even in a small way

I will not let the world
Make me bitter

No matter what happens
I will try to spread
Kindness

Not because the world
deserves it
But because it needs it

There is too much happening
Too much to care about
Too much to fight for
All worthy causes
But the biggest fight of all
Is to be empathetic
In this apathetic world

People will try to belittle
You
Not because
There is something wrong
With you
But because they don't know
How else to feel better

Who are you?
Who are you to tell me
That I need you
To be a woman?

Why do I have to
Attach my worth to you?
Am I not sufficient?
Why do I need you?

I need to learn
How to deal
With the stress
As it's coming
My way

My current method
Involves repressing
With such pressure
That I cannot predict
When the volcanic
Eruption of emotions
Will occur

If there is a path
I will find it
No matter how hidden
I am not known to give up

We have to fight for
Our futures

No one is going to
Hand you your dreams
On a silver platter

I think some relationships are cyclical
Like going through the seasons

It's painful to drastically go from
summer to winter

Just as it is to go from being in your constant presence
To a rare phone call here and there

However just like summer returns
I'm sure we'll meet again

Dear brain,
Can you stop telling me
All the things I've done wrong?
I know I'm not perfect

Can you instead
Tell me all the things
I've done right?
I could use some positivity

Thank you,
Me

The rawness of this world
Is often overwhelming
That’s why easier to find an escape
Rather then live in the moment

We are safe in our hiding place
But from there
we can only
watch life slip away

Imagine a car being stuck in snow
No matter how hard you try
To accelerate out of
The pit of despair
You will be stuck there
That is helplessness

But if you have one person,
Just one,
helps you
You can get out
That’s the power of
Friendship

Why do you deserve what you have
And more?

While the man outside begging
For his life
Deserves what he has
And nothing more

Meeting a close friend
After an eternity feels so unreal

Your brain is trying to understand
That they are finally in front of you

But your heart knows
They never left you

Parents
Often described as
A gift from God

But more often than not
We forget
They are human too
Capable of mistakes
Just like you and I

Their presence
Doesn’t need to feel
Heavenly

I no longer know
What progress feels like
Every time I feel like
I have made
A major improvement
I lose my footing
And fall right back down
From where I started

There is a barrier
Of deep fog
That I know I need
to go through

My fear is not of the fog
But of what is residing there

Are there monsters
From my nightmares
Or is there the peace
That I’ve been dreaming about