A lone soul walks ahead
without feeling alone
without anxiety — without dread
for in his heart and in his head
rest fragments of lives he’s led
impressions from lives he’s met

And he knows, yes he knows
not to let these memories go
his evidence of growth from changes both fast and slow

As mindsets are finicky
mental trains derailing too frequently
his monkey mind a restless thing
turned to jealousy so desperately
then gluttony to placate anxiety
yet he knows of his fallacies
that binge eating could never replace balancing
but now all he sees are stretch mark scenes
from overstretched belly seams of a self-hate pregnancy

And he knows self loathing isn’t how it has to be
nothing has to be, minds change through neuroplasticity
with the ability to forge and strengthen mental pathways
which value gratitude over consumption
not letting overconsumption invite a mindless haze of self doubt
of feeling stuck and alone in a maze of mental clouds
no, he knows now to let mindfulness grow
pausing for a moment to simply breathe and take it slow

—
Photo by Afonso Coutinho on Unsplash