self-esteem – Dayna Lang

Love is Home

I used to dream aboutA partner messing upCrawling backAs a sign of their love.Of toxic, bold, fireAnd grand gesturesFrom a liar. But I don’t have those dreams anymore.My dreams are far quieter.I dream of warmth and kindnessAnd a home –I don’t need anger,or struggles, or fire.Love is an unlit pyre.

On Soulmates

I used to think That there was one great love And that if we only held on We needn’t suffer. That if I was patient And forgiving And sacrificial – Love could last forever. I needed to believe that Through the cosmos There was some special bond. Undestroyable. But then I found you And sawContinue reading “On Soulmates”

Under-steeped and Selfish.

I am selfish in my bitterness. I am dark and under-steeped. The things I found to hold In my hands. They stick like Pine sap on a sandy beach. I just want to get down. I want to wipe my bark palms On ill-fitting jeans. But the sap stays with me. And it’s all IContinue reading “Under-steeped and Selfish.”

Perfection

There is a voice inside my head – A voice all my own; Telling me the things it hates About itself. It lists my breasts, my hips, my thighs. It lists the crinkles beneath my eyes When I disguise my frown. It lists my arms, my knuckles, my nose. It lists the things I doContinue reading “Perfection”