We have to tell our stories

We have to tell Our Stories

We have to tell our stories we cannot keep them to ourselves,

Gathering dust and getting grimy just laying on our shelves,

Growing in enormity with former guilt and shame,

Finally we give up and stop playing that stupid game.

We have to tell our stories in order to know who we truly are,

Gaining some perspective of our near - sightedness from afar,

Perhaps realising that our greatest fears are not so great after all,

Knowing someone else has felt the anguish of a pretty similar fall,

From a pedestal of perfection, we have placed ourselves upon,

Not realising that we are all flawed, yes each, and every - one,

So we share our hopes and dreams, our fears and failures too,

And we find in that the sweet relief of someone saying ‘you too’ ??!.

As humans our thoughts can tie us up in knots,

Unravelling them we realise that we are not robots,

We have emotions that can heal us, like love and compassion,

We can tell a kinder story and re-ignite our passion

For adventure, for joy, to just live life fully,

To finally shut up that inner tormenting bully,

That tells us we are not good enough, that nobody really cares,

To say out loud yes there is, THERE’S  ME!!! and catch it unawares,

The monster loses its power, serenity reigns supreme,

The courage to tell my story, shows all is not what it may seem.

That my past does not define my future, my pain does not limit my joy,

That I am deserving of a great life. And that reality no-one can destroy!

D. D. Baker