Proud, Curious.
She steps forward.
Taking in the sight of the beast.

Cautious, Senile.
She growls darkly.
Alerting it's peers.

She doth take yes,
Nay to No.

Proud, Curious.
She goes onward.
Into the world.

my mom taught me that
"cautious will keep you alive".

I learned that cautious is a shield
from the potential of pain;
but she never told me how it could be a barrier.
I never realized that confined safety prevented expansion,
limiting my existence to all things familiar.
sometimes I stare at my legs -
the only scars marking its surface are the ones I've made myself,
because I'd rather be hurt by something I've known forever,
than by the unfamiliar rough ground of a playground floor.

cautious will keep you breathing,
but it will not keep you alive.

It seems like whenever you struggle to look yourself in the mirror.
Whenever your skin irritates and appalls you,
You find someone who could spend a day in front of the mirror
Someone who treats their skin like a temple