Roots & Hope
Soulful Reflections on Faith, Healing, and Young Adulting
Category: Poetry
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Happiness has a home inside me And feels like laughter lounging on the couch of my stomach, Peace reclining on the rocking chair of my porch, Pain hidden in the forgotten drawer of batteries, receipts, and ketchup packets, Youthfulness jumping underneath my skin, defying time.
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My birth certificate claims that I was just a ‘90s kid, Born in the middle of a freezing Detroit night. But didn’t it know that my heart already had a beat? Back when afros sheened with Black, unashamed glory, Back when dancers moved on magical platforms that elevated them to skyscraper heights, Back when Stevie…
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Anxiety is the older chatty woman who sits next to you on the plane. She didn’t check any baggage, or even bring a carry-on. She only carries an agenda with names. Anxiety talks over the flight attendant’s famous speech just to talk at you. She could care less about reminding you to first put…
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“Because true belonging only happens when we present our authentic, imperfect selves to the world, our sense of belonging can never be greater than our level of self-acceptance.” -Brene Brown I am on an incredibly difficult journey of learning to accept myself. These past few days have been mentally and emotionally overwhelming. I am trying to…
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Last night, I left work with a mission: “See Avengers: Endgame“. I Google mapped the nearest reclining-seat movie theater with a suitable showtime. After a twenty-five minute drive in moderate rain, I made it! I am not a superhero/comic-book fanatic and know-it-all. Not even close. Over the past couple of years though, I’ve seen a nice…
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After church today, I went to a grocery store that I frequent often. This time though, I wore my flowery dress, and I chose not to dim my light. Walking through neat aisles of packages, prices, and produce, I held my head high. I smiled because I felt free. I noticed that when I carried…
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When the fear that she is forgotten drops on her window like a fallen icicle, she consoles her startled soul with a quiet prayer, “Lord, may I be more than a snowflake, Intricate and unique, Only to melt away. Remember me, God. Amen.”
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“Tell me what I gotta do to please you. Baby, anything you say, I’ll do. Cuz I only wanna make you happy. From the bottom of my heart, it’s true! Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah!” (These are crucial lines + adlibs from “I Wanna Know”, a ’90s R&B classic sung by Joe. Warning: Don’t even think…
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Every day is an honest struggle to fight the fear that I am forever alone, a war against mental snipers and automatic thoughts: Always forgotten, Always forgettable, Always unlovable, Always broken, Always left out, Always invisible, Always boring, And ugly, And hurting. Always empty and half-enough. Nothing stabs me like the days I’m given…
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These days burst with quiet successes, no rounds of applause for being you and showing up. These years, you search for things you don’t always know how to name. You reach for the fame of being known by people who will see you, sliver by sliver until you’re bare, bare being, bare heart, bare scars,…
Roots & Hope 