You have probably passed you by a million times on your way to your thoughts...

You have probably passed you by a million times on your way to your thoughts
Probably mistook the void for emptiness
Or a missing loved one
Probably settled deeply into the crook of your most favorable desire
Palm out, caressing the place where that desire slumbers
The waiting game forlays this anticipation
Life always begins around the corner for us
As going with what is known seems far easier than exploring the seams of our desperation
Far easier, it seems, until we have explored the world
And found promises few
And people fleeting
Minor things
Certainly, voids only indicate deepness of being •

I have felt the feelings of emptiness for most of the beginnings of my life. As if I was no one. Had no personality. No worth.

I clung to family members, friends, and lovers out of desperation, searching for what I thought I lacked in myself.

I went on a search for myself, visiting many cities domestically and abroad. But I had no idea what I was looking for. Until I found it. Self was hiding behind all of the baggage all along. I had to let go of some pain, some guilt, some regrets. I had to free myself from all that was holding me.

Four Years in Chrysalis (link in biography) is essentially the collection of my discoveries of self, collected over the course of four years. Sometimes finding yourself takes awhile. But each step leads into the next, until one day you arrive and find that - hey - I have known me all along, and I am happy with what I have found.
All people - friends, family, lovers - come and go, but one person you will always have is you. Give yourself all that you have to offer, indeed everything that you offer everyone else, to be the best you for you possible. Be the best you for you possible. •

Poem from Four Years in Chrysalis
© Aisha Tariqa Abdul Haqq Publishing
Follow @AishaTariqa for more daily poetry and inspiration •