I once made a home
inside of my shame.
The rooms were so small,
I could not stretch
my arms out wide.
The ceiling was so low,
I could not stand up tall.
There was no music, no light
in my house of shame,
only silence and shadow.
One day, I heard
a voice outside,
singing beautifully.
The sound was so sweet,
it made me ache.
It told me of all I was missing
as long as I stayed in the dark,
as long as I stayed in my smallness.
Suddenly,
I couldn’t live in the shadows
for one second more.
I threw open the door
and stepped out into the light.
The voice was all around me,
singing honey,
telling me who I am
and who I am becoming.
My arms spread as wide
as the branches of the oldest trees.
I stood as tall as the mountains
crowned by clouds.
And there were no shadows,
only light.
I opened my mouth
to give thanks,
and it was then
that I realized:
the voice
singing so beautifully
was my own.