Be mindful of who you keep near you.
There are voices that lead you off course.
Supporting is not always loving.
There are times it can hurt more than cure.
Don’t pour yourself out without refill,
Or give when you’ve nothing to spare.
Dole out love from a place of abundance,
Not by force when you’re withered and bare.
Don’t feel like a flop when you’re honest
And you say you require extra space.
Set a line when you see that you need it.
Be aware when it’s time to escape.
You have value; don’t ever forget it.
You aren’t put here to serve people’s whims.
You don’t live so that others can be lazy.
You don’t work just to make their lives gleam.
You cannot make someone else happy
Who is not content with his life.
A puppeteer always is needy.
You, as puppet, just won’t set that right.
For once, give your own gifts the runway.
Be bold and be strong—simply try.
When you strengthen and then you gain liftoff,
Don’t hold yourself back, girl, just fly!
Tag: memoir poetry
To the Young One Afraid to Make Mistakes
We all have weaknesses,
So freely acknowledge your flaws.
And guess what? You’re going to shatter some china.
Over time, lots. And that’s okay.
Be able to admit your mistakes,
But don’t just plop down there,
Wallowing in regret.
Get up. Ask for forgiveness.
Forgive yourself, too.
And forgive others who had a hand in your fall.
It’ll take courage, but I hope you come to learn this:
We cannot survive together while keeping score.
We cannot survive, either, keeping score against ourselves.
Of course, you know this isn’t free rein
To do things you shouldn’t—
Any little thing you want,
To fall into weakness,
Or laziness,
To make every thoughtless mistake,
To hurt other people
And elevate yourself,
To avoid consequences—
Certainly not.
But I know you;
You won’t dwell there;
You heard that part loud and clear.
What you need is Confidence.
Confidence is respecting others and yourself,
Knowing you both have great value (yes, you too).
Confidence is bravely setting your boundaries,
And standing firm when they are challenged by crooks.
Confidence is being thoughtful and wise,
Then making clear choices without dodging shards of guilt.
Confidence is allowing yourself healthy emotions,
Not canning them to meet others’ expectation.
Confidence is being honest and kind:
In how you think; in how you live; in how you treat yourself.
Confidence is embracing you calling,
even when you aren’t good at it…yet.
Don’t skim over this!
Don’t shelve it,
Saying you’ll come back later—
When you’re better prepared,
More mature.
You’ll come back—
When you have time to do it justice.
You won’t.
Dig in now.
Let it really sink in. Digest it.
Practice. Give yourself grace. Practice more.
Believe me, you won’t regret it.
Learn this one, and you’ll really go places.
Angela Writes... 