I feel like I’ve spent
My entire life
Encouraging others
To pursue their dreams
Like I’ve been a magnet
For musicians
Writers
And entrepreneurs
So flattered when they
Want to pick my brain
That I offer up my ideas
For free
And watch with envy
As they risk everything
While I remain
Safely protected
In this prison
Of perfectionism
But I’m breaking free
And maybe now I see
What other people saw
All along
I’m starting to believe
Why not me?
Why can’t I start a business?
Or write a hit song?
Why can’t I be
A woman to watch?
A feed to follow?
A name to drop?
A trailblazer
Who leaps
And fails
And learns
And pivots
And turns
Her way to the top?
Why I can’t I sing
And play guitar?
Spit white girl poetry like
I’ve got something to say?
And not apologize
For who I am
But trust that there
Have got to be others
Out there who have
Thought or felt
The same way
And it doesn’t matter
If we’re the same
Gender
Religion
Socioeconomic status
Or race
Everyone’s dreams
Are just as valid
No matter what they are
Whether you’re a
Stay-at-home mom
Reluctant student
Aspiring worker
Or somebody’s boss
It’s not a competition
But an interactive thing
And people always say
You get what you give
So why not give
Everything?
For me it’s been
A gradual process
But asking the questions
Puts a smile on my face
Why not me?
And why not you?
The possibilities
Really are
Endless