A little light

Why today do I feel so light?

And my soul shines more bright?

What I thought would hurt me bad

Made me happy instead of sad!

Today I spoke to someone wise.

A friend, philosopher and a guide.

He had only seen my brighter side.

But today I chose the shadow side.

I spoke of all my vices curt.

Of all those things that tend to hurt.

Coolly spilled my secret dark.

As it was, bare and stark.

That I carried in me a silent part

My inner child’s hurting heart

Showed the scars that I still carry

From that tender mind and body

He told me scarred he was too.

Like almost everyone else is too.

Aren’t all of us just the same!

Some withhold while others say.

Being scarred doesn’t make you bad.

But rejecting them can keep you sad.

When we stop concealing these marks

That is when our healing starts.

Where earlier lived guilt and shame

Now there joy and freedom came.

Now I know why I feel more light!

And my soul shines more bright.

-Shamika Ghaisas

28/10/2022

Many a time we might spend a lot of our energy portraying that we are alright while in reality we might not be feeling our best. This poem is an invitation to allow yourself to be seen, to accept that you are not okay, to ask for help and support when needed. Of course we need not do it all the time, but we can allow our guards to lower when we are in a safe space and just being authentic sometime can be immensely healing. To allow ourselves to admit that something is not okay, or that we messed up, or that something is amiss can release a lot of guilt and shame we carry. It is a small act of courage that can be very rewarding.