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Teresa A. Phipps

nikita gill

We are the blood

of the witches

you thought were dead.

We carry witchcraft in our bones

whilst the magic still sings

inside our heads.

When the witch hunters

imprisoned our ancestors

when they tried to burn the magic away.

Someone should have

warned them

that magic cannot be tamed.

Because you cannot burn away

what has always

been aflame.

temporary

Like the leaves of the trees

that shed and leave with the wind

never remembering how to return

never coming back again

so shall you be temporary to people

who have loved you deeply too.

Remember this when you are cursing others

for leaving and wishing them back to you.

The greatest magic you have is the

courage you go digging for,

when your world falls apart,

the light you still hold,

when everything has grown dark.

the becoming

You became.

When you believe you were nothing.

When everything you loved deserted you.

When you crawled out of the abyss.

When the darkness was so great

it swallowed you whole.

When failure tried to pinch

your soul between its greedy fingers.

When everyone you cared for broke your heart.

This woman that you are today,

You became her by breaking

Over and over and over again.

Allow no one to take that away from you.

You are valuable. You are precious.

Because you built yourself from shards.

You broke to become.

time

What I have spent

in mourning

is the price

I have paid

for my healing.

three sentences

'I believe you.'

'You did nothing wrong.'

'This was not your fault.'

Three sentences that can turn a victim into a survivor. Three sentences that are not used nearly enough.

questions to ask yourself

When was the last time

someone was kind to you

without wanting anything

from you?

When was the last time

someone was gentle with your soul

without asking for something

in return?

three versions of you

There are three versions of you.

The one that smiles

and laughs with others,

the one that hides

and cries alone,

and the one that has the ability

to achieve greatness.

These are like three roots

that emerge from a sapling,

you must find a way to grow

into a single, enlightened being

like a wise old oak,

and you will bear the fruit

of every happiness that eludes you.

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