She Chose Her

She realised it was time,

Time to face the obvious,

That which she has run from for eternity.

**

She has spent decades wearing a mask,

Applying it like it was her daily make up,

Refusing to leave the house without it.

**

She felt she couldn’t exist without slipping it on,

All the while knowing she was an imposter,

Dreading anyone getting close enough to unveil.

**

Hiding her face from the world,

Smiling while she consistently struggled,

Until she no longer knew who she had become.

**

You pulled, she pushed,

Wrapping her vulnerability within her strength,

Cloaking her pain in anger.

**

Then one day she understood,

Gave in to her exhaustion,

Forfeiting her need to deceive.

**

And she chose herself,

The real woman,

In her entirety.

**

She accepted that girl she met every night,

The one exposed in the dark,

She who cried herself to sleep.

**

She surrendered to the one who sings aloud to the music in her car,

Who laughs within the silence,

She chose to honour her soul that excels in solitude.

**

Yes, she chose her,

Feeling the guilt of not being enough,

Living with the anxiety, knowing others will see her flaws.

**

And still she chose herself,

Accepting the inner turmoil is what it is,

Learning to live with and love her imperfections.

**

And it is here that her real strength shines through,

Knowing she can finally face the possibility of rejection,

And survive.

**

Her power coveted by those who try to break her,

Realising she’s unbreakable,

While she fully accepts she may fall, she’s confident she’ll always rise again.