(from: The Messy Middle)
Frayed Edges
I don't want you polished and perfect
I want to see that you lived
with broken corners
and frayed edges
that you got
when you scraped by life
or when life
scraped by you
alongside the smooth edges
of your being
I want the you
who is not afraid
to live their heart
even if it means
breaking mine
I want the you
who lost themselves
more than once
and because of it
choose themselves
found themselves again
more than before
I do not want your ideal self
you think you should be
I want the you
who can feel
the sadness
the doubt
the chaos
that life also is meant to be
without losing its shine
who can find a smile
through everything
that hurts inside
I want people
with whom you find tenderness
when life feels harsh
a smile in the ache
a joke in the chaos
because they know
that hidden in the pain
joy awaits them
I want people
who are not afraid
of your pain
because they found
in their own tears
life
ever more beautiful than before
they found
through what was rough
a life
with more shine
than ever before
I want people
who are not afraid
of what others will think
when they fall
or maybe they are afraid
but still dare
or maybe they do not dare
but still do
I want the you
who was not afraid
to love
even if it could break their heart
or maybe you were scared
but dared
and loved anyway
without protecting the heart
from the pain
of the fall
who loved
straight through that
which was afraid
I want the you
with a heart
that lived
with abandon
and frayed edges
from when life
broke it open
I want the you
who knows
that a heart that breaks
is not broken
just broken open
and then
had more space
for love
than ever before
art: Tessa Smits