if we want to heal

we must feel the feelings

while millions of humans before us

have tried to escape this

–there is just no other way

~~~~

they will bubble and brew

and expand until they escape

some way or the other regardless

~~~~

so while highly uncomfortable

to let them out slowly

like the hiss of a bottle of fizz

it is better than bottling them up

for years, uncomfortably tight

~~~~

only to explode or debilitate

with force

despite all of our best efforts

to minimize

~~~~

this is the difficult work

that is healing

~~~~

this takes courage

~~~~

but this is the way to freedom

from those things

we would rather avoid

~~~~

yet hold us captive

while we pretend

to be okay

~~~~

but imagine what it will be like

to finally

be free

~~~~

—acknowledging and paying attention to our feelings is the first and incredibly vital step towards healing

©Heather Pound 2022