I Promise

A Poem by Athena Angel

I promise

I promise you it gets easier
I promise that letting go can feel like freedom
All the nights you spend feeling alone
Pay off
And you're laughing with a face mask on
Sleeping on friends couches with the biggest smile you've ever worn
And happiness becomes something you can hold

I promise you it's going to hurt
You will feel the burn
From every fire started in your heart
And you'll fall apart
And the thousands of pieces you see when you look in the mirror
Become the person you needed the most
You will fight every war and lose every one
Before you realize that all along you just needed love

I promise you it's going to be hard
And you'll want to run away
You'll want to scream and shout and hide
But then you'll stay
And it'll be the smartest thing you've ever done
You'll learn to stop apologizing for things that don't need to change
And to take responsibility for the things that do
And that'll be the greatest lesson you learn

I promise you that you'll fall
And it'll take a long time to reach the bottom
But it'll be worth every lesson and talk
And you'll be someone you wanted
You'll be someone you didn't know you needed
And it'll feel like release
You'll finally feel at ease

I promise you it's going to be a long road
I promise that heartbreak can feel like home
And you'll see who loves you and who never did
And you'll see who does and doesn't fit
You'll get up after every storm
And every loss will take a shape of its own
And they'll fit in with the puzzle you spend many years putting together

I promise you that you will lose
And you will feel used
And it'll take you awhile to stand up
But when you do then you can feel love that is true
Do not be afraid to take care of yourself
Do not be afraid to change and grow
Don't let anyone stop you
Because when you don't look back and only look forward
That's when you find freedom