Poem: Damsel in Distress – 22/03/20

I used to be a damsel in distress,
I called and called to them,
to assist me with my longing heart,
yet all of them decided to leave.
 
I worked so hard on being that
which portrayed what I felt was visual worth,
without understanding that what mattered 
was not essentially looks
but a kind, warm, and caring heart.
 
Others stared as I went on by,
my chest filled with pride 
at knowing that I had drawn their eyes,
but what I didn’t realise was that 
I was only striking for a second,
perhaps when I opened my mouth I’d lose their attention.
 
In distress was I, 
I wanted to be known,
acknowledged,
accepted,
to be understood,
to receive the gratification that came with being wanted,
the validation I'd glean inside.
 
However, the turnstiles kept turning,
and the admirers kept disappearing,
only there for a few fleeting seconds,
I became more daring.
 
Then underneath it all,
I slowly realised
that I needed to work on myself,
not on the outer, exterior view,
what mattered was my mind.
 
My inner truths,
the way I would treat mankind,
and the most important things of all were love
and the fact that I was grateful,
that I was still breathing,
despite the haphazard, lethal points in my life.

© 2020 Lauren M. Hancock. All rights reserved.
Photo by Alice Alinari on Unsplash

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