Well Worn

There's someone beside me

that needs space to breathe.

There's someone inside of me

that needs space to survive.

I am slipping over trip wires

and navigating perilous pitfalls,

exhausting efforts to avoid

falling short of absurd expectations.

And through all of it,

you ask for nothing,

while I ask everything of myself.

It is an exhausting existence,

second guessing every action,

comparing yourself to an idealized fantasy

of who you wish you were.

I probably will never be that person.

It isn't the person you fell in love with,

or the person you love now --

so why the f**k

am I so compelled to try and be

something that only exists in films

or youth group sermons.

We are broken,

we are messy.

Embrace the stains,

the smells,

the sloppy attempts

at staying alive.

Embrace the humanity --

I must love myself.

Reviews

[Joshua Espinosa]

Hello. What is even love today when everything is so ambiguous? Most of the time, what we thought other people might think of us never really existed and it's us who only burden ourselves with these thoughts. One thing I've learned was in knowing that we are special existences with a specific purpose. Finding who you are and what you are meant to be is a first step. You, being you, is more than enough.

[Ben Taylor]

Truly. How beautifully said.