© By Ashley E. Bailey
Nervous, Insecure,
Desperately trying to be like everyone else,
Not wanting to stick out,
Praying for the approval of my peers,
I began the next chapter of my life.
Thrown out into the dark,
Into a thickly settled forest,
With no choice,
I cleared the way,
Through these years,
Now I've found the light.
This journey wasn't easy,
Many times, I was lost,
Drowned by temptations and falsifications,
Veered of the path by mistakes and misfortunes,
Broken and bruised at times, but I survived.
I didn't take this walk alone,
There were many along the way,
Some walked beside me, Some followed,
Some guided,while others passed me by,
I take a piece of them all,
What I have learned,
And I am me.
Memories fill my path,
Some good, Some bad,
Cries of pain filled my dark,
Smiles and laughs emblazoned my light,
I loved some, lost some,
It all completes my story.
I walked into the forest frightened,
I walked out frightened but no longer afraid to admit it,
On that journey, In that dark,
I found myself, I found light,
I became a person I am proud to be,
I am ready now, Ready to turn the page,
Ready to begin a new chapter, Another journey.