Be the driving force behind winds of change.

It is not your job to save everyone.

Lemme say that again:
It is NOT your job to save everyone!

Be selfless and be kind,
But don't forget to unwind.
Don't forget to focus on YOU.
Don't forget that you go through some ****, too!
Don't forget about your own life.
Don't let them stab you in the back after you've handed them the knife.

You can only give so much of yourself before you are left empty-handed.
You can only do so much for someone before you become aware that they've taken you for granted.
What does it take for you to see that you have been planted?
That life is about personal growth, no matter where you have landed.

We all have our baggage and we've claimed our vices,
But there comes a point in adulthood when you should open your eyes and see how beautiful life is.
It's not about whose picture looks the nicest.
It's about whose internal light shines the brightest.

So tell me, when you see your reflection,
Do you glow or do you burn?
Are you brighter than sunshine or are you ashes in an urn?

"From the ashes we will rise",
Though it may be trite and cliché;
In the end we all get the same prize,
As long as you start the game to play.

These days, I don't pretend to be something  I'm not.
You see, there are so many things in life that I thought I wanted,
That I easily forgot.
Whether they were relationships I've tried to force,
Or the things that I've bought..
They eventually turned me into something that I'm not.

I had dreams and I had goals -
They helped me survive through a world of pain.
Personal relationships became nothing but black holes -
An abyss - a dead end - with nothing to gain.

I grew up believing that, to love, you had to be a savior.
You had to fix the broken pieces - hide your own - give more, more, more.
You weren't allowed to be weak -
Never reveal what you truly fear (feel).
In raising myself,  I made careless choices,
But at least the lessons were made clear.

I barely had a "dad",
I barely have a "mom"..
I swore I'd never be them -
But clearly, I was wrong..
I'm not proud of that, I have many regrets..
At least I'm aware & getting better,
Despite the devil placing his bets.

I am all alone, a choice I have made for myself.
There are fewer moments of self-loathing
As I continue to work through my mental health.
Though, it could always be worse -
I prefer to think of better.
That empty, self-destructive machine I once was -
I do my best everyday to forget her.

I still make mistakes - I still **** **** up,
But thank GOD I am no longer trying to pour from an empty cup.
I have done too much damage,
Allowing others to damage me, too.
It has taught me not to give everything
To people that don't care about YOU.

You don't have to suffer and exist as a robot.
Now is as good a time as any
For you to stop trying to be
Something that you're not.

♡

i know my worth, that i'm better off alone.
i know that u will try to come back soon,
but all u will hear from me is a dial tone.

i don't need u, forget everything i've said.
i don't feel u like i used to -
u are no longer plaguing thoughts in my head.

i had to let u go & make room for the new.
we had fun while it lasted, memories for days,
but that's not the path we were meant to live through.

u would have only kept playing the same games.
pushing me away only to reel me back in:
self-serving tactic for u - me, it only shames.

i'm finally loving myself, allowing my heart to set u free.
i hope that one day u get what u are looking for,
and i'm sorry for u that it's no longer me.

too little, too late - u won't be the only one realizing my worth.
i don't mean to hurt or disappoint u,
but u aren't the only soul i met in my 'rebirth'.