Finding My Voice

Somewhere amidst the vastness of your embrace

I lost what was truly mine

For years, I have been a wandering gnome

Lost within the sea of emerald green

But it really felt like smothering, hot sand
Threatening to choke the very life out of me
A clone identical to all of the others
Thinking, dreaming, appearing, walking, talking
Appearances seem to be everything in that world
Not many took the time to find reality
Digging deep under the massive structure
Walls made of iron and stone, unbreakable
Robotic, uncensored, yet programmed all the same
I was too afraid to find my way
Out of the tangled vines and smoldering jungle
Steam rose whenever I stepped forward
Taking my very breath away
Making it hard to breathe
Adrenaline pumping through my veins, heart pounding
The end was very near, or so I was made to think
When all else failed, I was frozen in place
Pressured into this being who wasn't really me...

Now, I stand, alone, and very still
The dust seems to be clearing
And for the first time,
I am beginning to see my way to the mirror
My reflection is like deja vu
It seems familiar, as if to be my very friend
Somehow, I always knew who I was
Deep inside, buried for so long
This person, born a steady girl with outspokenness
Ready to face the world
Able to take what came her way
This girl I see in the glass
Truly who I've always been and am now finding...
My friend, confidant, missing puzzle piece
A voice, strong and clear
No misunderstandings from what came from her mouth
Confident in what she wanted, and ready to take it
A tender heart, yet able to set healthy boundaries
This is me, finding my voice
And hearing it loud and clear, head held high...
I can't hide or be what you want me to be
But I can listen and hear what you are saying.
I won't judge you or twist you to make you into someone else
Because in so doing so, I will have become
What once threatened to choke the life out of me.