you hang your head in

sorrow because you do

not know the crown

unseen that sits upon it.

 

you do not remember

that there is a life lived

full and wild and free

of experiences to draw

 

upon and that your

worth has nothing to

do with what you do,

but with who you have

 

become and who you

have been when you knelt

alone on bathroom floor

before your hardest day

 

when your view of hope

was dim and uncertainty

all around, and who you

have become as you kept

 

on walking anyway, trying 

to be faithful even though

broken. you, yes you, are

still here and you are worthy

 

of things that are good, of

life left to be lived, of gifts

unexpected yet to be given.

so, do not give up, my dear,

 

raise your head, straighten

crooked crown, know when

to accept assistance along the

way and remember

 

who you are.

 

©Heather Pound 2023

image:Lily via Unsplash