Fiercely

I'm protecting my inner child fiercely,

Guarding the gates of my heart.

Defending my inner teen's survival,

Her resilience, her art.

She did the best she could,

With the knowledge she had then,

Every night, I forgive her,

Each day, frustration begins again.

Loving myself feels hopeless,

Without reason, without rhyme,

Yet every breath is rebellion,

A stand against time.

From your high-rise, privileged view,

Through rose-tinted glass,

You won’t see my world,

Or the depth of my past.

Everything I need is grounded,

In the simple, in the small,

The moon, the sun,

Barefoot walks on the grass.

You call me crazy,

For joy in these little things,

But internally, you wish,

For the ease that it brings.

You don’t yearn like I do,

But you hope to understand,

The happiness I find,

With so little in hand.

This joy is my triumph,

My rebellion, my plea,

Rooted in nature's rhythm,

Just because I am me.