i have realized
that it is in silence
where my voice thrives
it is where i truly found my voice
and welcomed her with open arms

this world does not want us to find our voices
no matter how much it advertises for it
because once we do
we begin to realize the power behind it
and the lies that were found in the noise
of the world

find your voice
strip your mind of all other narratives
and listen to the one that has been buried down
beneath all the trash
there lies your most authentic self
the one that has been there
all along

eyes closed
palms gently resting against my thighs
deep inhale
slow exhale
repeat
this is all i know
that will be with me in the future
as i close my eyes
and feel my chest expand and retract
as i become aware of the places on my body
that connect and ground me with the earth
i find peace
in knowing that this will be the same
decades down the road
i'll always have my constant breathing to come back to
the stimulus
darkness
and the sensations
will be the same ones that i will experience
once i graduate
once i get my first job
once i kiss the love of my life
once i give birth and hold my child
once i experience the grief and loss of my parents
i will have my breathing to come back to
i will have the soothing movement
of my chest
to remind me of my constants in life

our most unfiltered essence
can be found in our early years
but then we are challenged
to conform to societal expectations
so that we may be socially desirable
at the cost of abandoning aspects of ourselves
for survival
this train of thought emerged when
my psychology professor told me
during a mindfulness exercise
to come back home to myself
to the aspects of myself that I foreclosed
for the sake of survival
so
I encourage all of you reading this
to take the courage
and come back home to the parts of yourself
that you abandoned
all those years ago

I imagine you holding me,
While I sit and stare at the stars, for hours.
And you watch and smile
While my eyes hold the universe,
And your eyes carry the sunrise.
We're alive.
And I'm so glad I
Stayed around for this.

Flower blooming
In the dead of winter
Even the harshest of winds
Are no match for her roots
She survives
Regardless of the seasons
For her growth
Is indestructible
Never again
Will she listen
To the dead around her
That wilted away
Behind layers of frost