Toxic Garden

Photo by Josie Weiss on Unsplash

I am full 
of the emotions 
that may yet destroy me—

vines of sorrow,
thick thorns of self-persecution,
an unkindness that 
coils around my ribcage,
tethering dissatisfaction within
my chest;

my heart is carved from ebony loss 
yet still thrumming with 
sanguine intent—
alive but stitched with 
threads of henbane;

one day, I may learn 
the art of self-love,
but I don’t know when—

in the meantime,
I will tend to this garden,
and call it mine. 

---

Self-recrimination is like a weed that refuses to uproot.

We talk about healing so easily, but it is a lengthy process, and it’s tough going. Sometimes, we fall back into our old patterns and ignore everything we have learned. We allow the shit to grow back and consume us.

But if we continue to sow new seeds of positivity, those toxic plants will, one day, shrivel and die.

Here’s to healing.

Jo xo