They taught you
that you were small.
They told you
that you were incomplete.
That there was
something 'wrong' with you.
(They believed in
'right' and 'wrong').
They sold you a lie.
They fed you a nightmare:
That love was conditional.
That you had to work for it.
Earn it. Be 'good enough' for it.
That your source of self-worth
was outside of you!
And your value was tied to
doing better.
Being faster.
Smarter. Louder.
Quieter.
Taller, prettier.
Achieving better grades.
Climbing higher.
Descending when told.
Building a better image.
Constructing a better 'me'.
A better version.
An upgrade.
It was all a lie.
You were loveable
exactly as you were.
In your original form.
From the beginning,
you were whole.
And worthy.
Worthy of love.
Worthy of attention.
Worthy of empathy.
Worthy of safety.
Worthy of dignity, respect.
Your feelings mattered,
even the uncomfortable ones.
Your body was beautiful,
even with its imperfections.
Your voice was sacred,
even when they didn't agree.
Your success mattered,
but your failures were also pure.
Your in-breath mattered.
Your out-breath too.
They taught you
that you were small.
They were mistaken, always.
Yet forgive them, Father;
they knew not
what they were doing.
For they were taught the same.
- Jeff Foster
No comments:
Post a Comment