There Is Room for All of You Here

by Michaela Angemeer

hiding with a smile even when i’m the only one there to see it

if being misunderstood is an extreme sport i am free climbing at three thousand feet bloody fingertips strained neck there’s no way you can hear me scream but if you could you’d swear i was whispering

do we accept the love we think we deserve or do we accept the love we were taught we deserved

just don’t say you’ll be there if you have no plan to

date yourself. affirm yourself the way you would want a partner to. hug yourself when you cry. listen to yourself. ask the questions you’re afraid to answer. reassure yourself. trust yourself. plan solo trips and go on them. celebrate friendships and chosen family more than you ever have. buy yourself a birthday present for the first time. flowers for no reason. romanticize everything you do by yourself. teach yourself how you want to be loved, and how deserving you are of it.

Be ur own person

i hope you know that being open to love again after giving up on it is one of the greatest acts of bravery. even though you’re terrified, you are so courageous. i know vulnerability feels like prying your chest open with scarred palms, but what if it’s worth it? what if you find someone just as soft as you. what if you find someone who knows you don’t deserve to be discarded. what if being seen becomes effortless. what if feeling doesn’t have to hurt. what if they make everything you’ve been through worth it. what if they teach you how to love again.

i’ve been by myself for so long that when i feel off balance it’s instinctual to push you away but i don’t want you to leave i need you to stay