Standing Up First

So very simple
The words spill
Easily from my lips
With the gush
Of a river in full flood
Once the first exits
The stream flows
Unbated
Ideas more damning
At this art
Of vilifying myself
For mine is not
The mind that supports
The beauty
That is me
The magnificence
That is my being
That others seem to see
To sacrifice
Put others first
That is what I learned
Was a good human
What I needed to do
But nobody told me
My cup needed
To be full first
The fright comes
When you’re on empty
And the world still expects
For you to give
What you don’t have
And you squeeze hard
For that last drop
Of your soul
And nothing comes
And still
It is never enough
When the floor
Is your platform
From where you’re
Constantly trying
To get up
And still
They are waiting
And wanting
And nobody
Is picking you up
This is when we learn
To pick ourselves up
To fill ourselves up
And to hold ourselves up
First

Debbie Gravett © 2021.03.17

FOWC: Vilify
RDP: Fright
Image by thelester from Pixabay