freefall

how curious you were as a newly minted child.
your hunger for understanding
unbridled by the weight of expectations.
the world like a peach slice of possibility.

how afraid and docile you grew
throughout the years. failure and loss at your
heels like two savage companions,
you were scared of stretching too high,
and falling too far, a modern icarus.
retreat into the security of what is known,
while you reach boiling temperatures inside.

feel time racing by you like a jeering
rival. pressure to make something
of all this, a slippery pen in your hand.
what is this all for? who are you trying
to satisfy? who would you be if you weren’t
still scared?

a wish for you this year:
freefall into your truest self.
let go of everything that has shaped you
without your consent. you get to pick and
choose the lessons you keep from your crucible.
discard the perfectionism, the comparisons,
the mimetic desire, and keep everything else that serves you
and those around you. your existence is like a
sparkling pebble in the river. you will make
good decisions. your light will shine regardless;
the question is where you want to go.