Summits
Summits I was always described as a shy child at school, Never look you in the eye Cry at the mere hint of conflict, Or praise. I grew up 'deficient'; misinterpreted, wronged. I felt a fire in me, Gathering fuel from the incidents That shaped me, Lighting a beacon for my self-esteem To warm my walked-over feet on dark nights. So, I set myself a goal To be able to talk, Particularly in difficult situations; To be heard Without breaking down. I climbed that mountain, Up the path called assertiveness, Around the summit of self-expectation And do you know what I found? There's an echo. Because in finding my voice I cupped my hands and shouted to the world "This is me now!" But all that came back to me from others Was the echo of my former self. So I tried again To make my Self heard, Directing rather than shouting my voice Down the valley of self confidence. And now I grow in the forest of self-reassurance. Oxygen-clear in tone, Whole-hearted in approach;...
