the prospect of death enraptured him/corey's poetry anthology

learning, healing, growing

i learned a lot
from being with you.

i learned how deeply
i tie up my identity
in other people,
and i learned just what
a toll that can take on me.

i got better at speaking up for myself
(i say better, but it's still a work in progress).

i learned what i want
and what i don't.

i learned that relationships
shouldn't be a hierarchy
where i'm sitting at the bottom.

i know myself a bit better,
i can notice when i'm slipping into bad behavior.
i value myself enough now to try and stop it.

i've gotten better at asking for help.

i learned how much i value transparency.

i learned my limits.

i'm learning who i am
when i stop letting people play a role in it.

i'm letting go, now.
i'm letting go of a lot.
or at least, i'm trying to.

it's not easy,
progress never is.
i've had to get some things right,
and get a whole lot wrong,
but i'd still say i'm better than i was.

i like who i'm becoming.
i like the changes that have happened to me.
i'm feeling the calm after the storm.
i can see how i've grown

and i can feel proud of that.