“People are all we’ve got,” she said
Earnest eyes imploringly demanding that I acquiesce
There was a time i would have agreed
Identity and self-worth contingent on external validation
Despondently concluding that the opinions of others
And my ability to attract them
Served as the foundation of all hope there was to be had in life
“People are all we’ve got,” she says
But this morning I awoke
To sunbeams kissing my forehead
Gentle caress of a tender lover
Rising day after day as a testament to the fact that hope exists
“People are all we’ve got,” she exclaimed
Yet after sitting with the sounds of crashing ocean waves
For ten minutes
Inner peace such that I couldn’t have known two years ago
Descends upon my being
Like a warm blanket pulled fresh from the dryer
On a cold winter day
“People are all we got!” she demands
As though the ability to push pause on roiling emotions
Or sense of self-esteem
Can truly come from anywhere but within
People were all I had
Or so I believed
Internal yearning for connection and belonging
Drove maladaptive behaviors for most of my life
Today I have self-respect & self-love
A growing appreciation for the blessings ever-present
That have nothing to do with people at all
Earnest eyes imploringly demanding that I acquiesce
There was a time i would have agreed
Identity and self-worth contingent on external validation
Despondently concluding that the opinions of others
And my ability to attract them
Served as the foundation of all hope there was to be had in life
“People are all we’ve got,” she says
But this morning I awoke
To sunbeams kissing my forehead
Gentle caress of a tender lover
Rising day after day as a testament to the fact that hope exists
“People are all we’ve got,” she exclaimed
Yet after sitting with the sounds of crashing ocean waves
For ten minutes
Inner peace such that I couldn’t have known two years ago
Descends upon my being
Like a warm blanket pulled fresh from the dryer
On a cold winter day
“People are all we got!” she demands
As though the ability to push pause on roiling emotions
Or sense of self-esteem
Can truly come from anywhere but within
People were all I had
Or so I believed
Internal yearning for connection and belonging
Drove maladaptive behaviors for most of my life
Today I have self-respect & self-love
A growing appreciation for the blessings ever-present
That have nothing to do with people at all