the mermaid's voice returns in this one

“be

victorious

in

everything

you do.

disturb

the gods,

if that’s what

it takes.

& maybe

especially then

i’ve

never been

a mirror

nor a lake

for you to

peer

into &

see yourself

or your past

& future paths

reflected

back to you.

my

story

has never

been

your story.

your

story

has never

been my

story.

their

story

has never

been anyone

else’s story

you must collapse

into yourself

before rebuilding.

you must unearth

every wound

before learning

the power of salt.

when silence settles in, peace follows

becoming

your

own

savior

sometimes

means

knowing

when

you

need to

ask for

help.

cages

are

still cages

even

when they’re

designed

to

look

just like

castles.

do you

ever

find

yourself

nostalgic

for

the person

you never

got to

be?

- (because i do II.)

that’s

how

the girl

learned

how to love

but only ever

from a great

distance.

sometimes

she cannot

tell the

difference

between

the days

she’s walked

this earth

as herself

&

the days

she’s walked

through paragraphs

as someone else.

- no one noticed & she liked it that way.

do you

ever

find

yourself

nostalgic

for

the life

you never

got to

have?

this is for the ones with

starfall hearts and blown glass eyes

this is for the ones with

broken hands and unbroken ties

this is for the ones with

wild hair and ghosts in their lungs

this is for the ones with

unsung mothers and wars on their tongues

this is for the ones with

bruised peach skin and fear-flayed nails

this is for the ones with

hummingbird hearts and thighs that tell tales

of nights they found love and nights to forget

of days passed in silence, words not to regret

- i am yours.

by sophia elaine hanson