From Within

We walk away from things that harm us

Wondering

How we got ourselves there in the first place

Fleeing pain in the hopes of salvation

Only to find ourselves

Again and again and again and again

I leave

When I do not feel free

To be myself

To find myself

Safely

The world is full of judgment

Endless

And it won't quit

The trick

Is not to find contentment in isolation

But in what it means

To be one's self

In spite of judgment

People will talk and assume nasty things about you

But it's not who you are

To hide away in avoidance

Is to let them win

I've learned

Sometimes

We need our cocoon

In order to heal and grow within the safety of our own energy

But then

We have a right to step out into the world

As we are

It takes strength

It takes strength to stand up amidst doubt and criticism

To stand alone

In your individuality

But how can we create a safe space for others

When we are too afraid to be ourselves

There is healing

And then there is becoming new

We can't always expect to be understood

But we can understand ourselves

I've learned

To walk away from discomfort

Is only to find it again somewhere else

What we flee from

Is within us

And we cannot run from ourselves