The Virtues of Writing

A Poem

You write for yourself / You write because you want to write /  
You write to heals old wounds / To grow and change seeking
all that's lost / Pen in hand…you're a witness to your life / 
Shaping your days / Refining the way you live / Discovering
you have agency to rise above inhibiting patterns / To chart 
a new path / One you're proud of / You have to instill self-  
respect in what you decide to create / The craft you've chosen 
and the time you are carving out to carry it through / Respect 
for your story and narratives that got you stuck or held you 
hostage / Growing more aware is like standing on higher 
ground to see from a different vantage / Reevaluate / That 
getting stuck isn't the end / But a part of the journey unfolding 
each day / Give tribute to the low places / The times you asked 
for a do over / When life grew unpleasant under suffocating 
thoughts / Even at 4 a.m. stand beside the part of you that abides 
by a vision / A new creed / The part of you that still believes
in your potential / Muster compassion for every season and version
of yourself / Look back with gracious eyes / Welcome all the exiled
parts of you that long for wholeness / Nothing out of sorts / It all
belongs even the years you struggled to find your inner voice 
and speak your mind / When others overlooked you / All those times 
you hesitated and didn't know where to go or what to do / It belongs 
just the same / Those aimless years that led you nowhere / It might 
feel futile now writing at your desk / Publish, post, send / Does it 
matter…will it matter / Frayed attention spans and algorithms / 
Always remember why you write / You write to name your destiny.


~Kassi

Photo Credit: Jonathan Borba

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