My Poetic Odyssey: Navigating Self Love

Self-love is not instantaneous. It does not happen overnight, but rather through the occurrence of challenges, adversities, and unpredictable life circumstances.

It is not a linear process. Rather, it is a tumultuous battle that has knocked me down multiple times, leaving undeniable wounds. Yet, it is within these wounds that I’ve discovered many reflections about life that have allowed me to not only get up and continue, but to become an even stronger and capable version of myself.

Poetic Reflections on Self Love

Poetry has always been my therapeutic sanctuary. It serves as my avenue for delving into and unraveling the intricate threads of my thoughts. As I recently revisited the countless poems I’ve written over the years, my beautifully chaotic journey unfolded before my eyes. Within the verses of three chosen poems, an unfiltered and emotional depiction of my self-love journey emerges.

“Broken Mirror on the Wall” explores the acceptance of my brokenness as a unique form of beauty.

“She Builds Again” delves into the concept of rebuilding, and reclaiming the treasures hidden within life’s wreckage.

“Wounded Warrior” highlights the strength that can be found in scars, and the wisdom that can be gained through life’s trials and tribulations. It celebrates the battered but beautiful warrior I have begun to identify as, as I have learned that no one who faces their battles head on comes out unscathed. Strength emerges from both properly traversed vulnerabilities and the acceptance of imperfections.

The Brutal, Yet Beautiful Truth.

The journey of self love is one of the most difficult battles one will face. However, the view on the other side of this uphill battle is one worth discovering, as painstaking as the journey may be.

“The only way out is in.”

-Siddhartha Gautama

Poem 1: Broken Mirror on the Wall

🪞I love this broken mirror.🪞

Sadly broken, but through the cracks, my reflection still stares back.

Ironically, I am also broken, and the shattered mirror is a beautifully artistic depiction of this.

The cracks create a distorted reflection of reality; one that can’t be avoided.

By definition, nothing can be in perfect condition if it is broken.

It may not be perfect,

but the reflection in the broken mirror also depicts reality, nonetheless…

Perhaps I, also, perceive reality in a way that doesn’t accurately depict the details.

Parts of it have fallen through the cracks, and parts are merely hidden behind them…

yet…they still exist…

As I stare at the slightly contorted image staring back at me,

I realize that it would have been contorted, nonetheless.

Perfection is an illusion; a mere mirage in the distance that is sought after by so many, it has become accepted as reality.

Following the crowd is the easiest way to get lost.

🪞I love this broken mirror.🪞

When one is looking at a shattered reflection, they must look with intent.

They must look a little harder.

They must see past the cracks, while simultaneously acknowledging their existence.

So instead of manifesting a “new and improved” version of myself, I manifest the older one…

the one who wasn’t broken by society.

And as I do this…

I see past the imperfections, understanding that they are subjective to both my brokenness and that of the glass.

And for the first time in a while,

I see how truly beautiful I am, past the realm of physical attributes.

🪞I love this broken mirror.🪞

Poem 2: She Builds Again

Then suddenly, life as she knew it came crashing down before her

in jagged fragments,

like boulders in a landslide.

So...

She waited for the dust to settle.

Then, with the upmost care, she collected the debris,

as one person’s TRASH can also be their TREASURE.

And then,

she used those pieces...

TO BUILD AGAIN.

Because,

Suddenly, she realized that the emptiness she felt was only making room for a fullness waiting to be discovered.

And then, life felt a little different…

She felt a little different…

And the domino effect began...

For it is when she learned that she could glow in her own darkness, that she became the glimmer of hope she had been searching for.

AND THEN, SHE BUILT HER EMPIRE.

Poem 3: Wounded Warrior

She is a wounded warrior.

She is damaged by the circumstances dealt to her in life,

yet, her soul reminds her that she isn’t defined by times of strife.

They merely add definition.

She was dancing in turmoil, caught in a chaotic, never ending spin,

until she realized she deserved a life more meaningful than it had been.

She broke free from the shackles she had entrapped herself in,

and this time, as life’s piercing blade sliced deeply into her skin,

she chose to let her demons out instead of inviting more of them in...

When wounds can be healed,

And scars can be sealed,

life-changing wisdom can be instilled.

There is something exceptionally beautiful about a wounded warrior.

She found inspiration amidst devastation.

She is a wounded warrior.

P.S.