Views of a highway
tarped in a blanket
of rolling vehicles
fade into a portrait
of a sharp river's curve,
a creeping tide
marching alongside
the green density,
tiny bungalows stacked high,
hidden deep in the foliage
licking the water's edge.

Twenty-three years
of blood coursing through
has led me to this moment;
two full seasons of inner turmoil
compounded with the ferocities
of self-preservation, of self-healing,
surmounting to an inescapable reward,
one of recognition for the atrocities
woven through embroidered experiences.

This collection is a mirror
reflecting the very words
that attempted to restrict
themselves in the depths
of my haunted mind;
a journey of trial and error,
a rediscovery of the mechanics
of my persona, of the ways
I find myself surpassing
each obstacle standing in my way.

Stringing words together
to create a tangible obituary
mourning the losses never believed
I could transcend; I release
the demons dictating my life
as a puppet, accept the past
for what it will always be,
welcome myself with ease,
treat myself with kindness,
allow myself to heal, to live,
to thrive, to grieve those
undeserving of remembrance,
a valor of undisputed disloyalty,
one of generational trauma
bestowed upon those
kind enough to try.

This is my transition
to a new era welcoming
me with outstretched arms.