At first it hurts, to realize that when you turned that corner
That corner took you so much strength to turn
And you looked beside you and realized
That the friends that you thought would be there were not;
They are not walking beside you as thought they would
But not because they don’t want to, but because they needed not to
and it took them courage and strength and strong love to let you go
So that you could learn; Learn how to stand on your own two feet
Learn how to deal with loss and pain; hurt and anger; abandonment and shame;
And the new understanding of those emotions
That have been kept deep down inside and are now alive.
Learn to talk for yourself and open up wide
So that the life you have been holding deep and dark
And inside your soul will come out and fight;
Fight to be acknowledged, fight to be heard, shout over the rooftops
Understand what your life has meant
What you have learnt and what and who you are . . .
A true friend will let you take those last steps, and while
Not walking beside you, will be only one step behind
In case you falter.
~ N Pearson, June 18, 2012
