Wishing Well

I wish I were free. Free from judgement, from expectations, condemnation, fear, pressure, disappointment, stress, pain, patronizing words and incriminating glances.

I wish I were free. Free from knowing that everyone I love wishes I were someone else - or at least a smarter, prettier, thinner, "better" me.

I wish for a safe haven. A place where I no longer feel the need to prove myself, where I can stand on my own instead of in comparison.

I wish for love without conditions, without expectations. I wish to be taken - and accepted - as is. I wish to be deemed worthy and in no need of change.

I wish for time. Time to contemplate my painful past, and to recapture the childhood that was stolen from me. To breathe, to relax, to become someone capable of growth.

I wish to know myself beyond other's perceptions of me, to define myself by more than my past.

I wish for control over my own life, my own emotions, my own experiences.

I wish for the courage to face the unknown without fear or hesitance, and for the insight to seperate loneliness from being alone.

I wish I were free. Free to be who I am - to sulk, to wallow, to emote as I see fit without fear of reprisal.

I wish for acceptance.