Poem: I'm Okay

Forgetting and losing who you are
Is a feeling like no other.
When nothing makes sense
You’re scared and you’re mad as hell.
I am somewhere between nauseous and empty.
I am crying and reaching out for what
I don’t even know.
Then something happens
It’s a new feeling coming over me
As apprehensive as I may feel
I also feel empowered!
I am encouraged that this is somehow
Going to make me feel whole again.
Because with a fading heartbeat
I need the vision of hope in my life.
I want the feelings of despair in my air
To take a back seat in my life!
So much gray has assailable
The gaps in my thoughts.
A word spoken starts an infectious trend
Leaving craters of tears
Causing me to endure more scars.
Insecurity blinds me
I am tired of the clouds
That have occupied my life.
This is when I learn
Some words are unspoken
Some words are unseen.
Stand still and wait for a-while.
Listen to the voices unheard.
I need only to live one day at a time.
At times it is one step at a time.
I struggle with pain
At times I struggle to breathe.
I choose to grab at the wonders in life
I let them fill me up inside with hope.
Then I will stand here and say once again
“I’m okay!”
Thank you for today!

Julie Hanft, 62, is a best-selling author and poet living in Birch Bay.