its okay to be broken before you find time to heal
its okay to cry yourself to sleep
two nights in a row or ten
its okay to feel like you’ve lost everything
and to mourn that
to lock yourself in your room to avoid any sunlight
but you have to get back up
you have to remind yourself that you were fine before and you will be fine after
you have to start smiling at puppies again
and craving your favorite foods
you have to start living again
despite the ache your body has not to
because things will get better
one day youll wake up and forget the way the tears tasted
youll wake up and forget you were ever in pain at all
youll wake up and be okay
but thats only if you allow yourself to be

so yes
cry
cry an ocean and label it with his name
but remember that it is still your ocean
remember your body built something so beautiful without him
promise yourself that one day
youll sail across that ocean
and never even remember his name
yes
hide in your room
forget what sunlight feels like
so that when you finally decide to
re-emerge
youll relearn how sunlight feels
and this time it wont be attached to his name
but attached to your survival
yes
miss him
write poems solely about the color of his eyes
and the shape of his smile
and then remind yourself that only you have the ability to paint him that pretty
that beautiful
only you have the ability to turn thunderstorms into sunlight
so do it

remember
that its okay to be broken
its okay to wish yourself away
but only for a little while
you must remember
that time will not stop for your sorrow
and you shouldn’t stop for him
remember
there will be days when all you feel is the absence of his love
but the days that follow will show you that the absence of that is better than the presence
remember
if you are strong enough to be vulnerable to his love
you are strong enough to live without it
so do