Loving Myself Louder

I scroll through endless, shining screens

Where voices echo, sharp and cold,

Where judgments hide in silent memes

And stories are too quickly told.

The world outside can be so loud,

Its comments cutting, swift, unkind

A thousand faces in the crowd

All trying to invade my mind.

But deeper still, another voice

Whispers doubts I know too well,

It tries to drown out every choice

With fears and lies I cannot quell.

Yet somewhere in my quiet heart

A softer truth begins to grow

That loving me is where I start,

No matter what the others know.

I am not numbers on a page,

Nor every word that strangers say,

I am not bound inside a cage

Of fleeting trends that fade away.

I am the laughter in my chest,

The kindness in the things I do,

The dreams I nurture and invest,

The battles fought that no one knew.

So let the world throw stones and shade,

Let critics gather, let them jeer

I’ll build my worth from what I’ve made,

And hold my spirit strong and clear.

I’ll turn the volume of my love

Above the noise, above the spite,

And let compassion rise above

The darkest corners of the night.

For every flaw that they might see,

I’ll answer with a gentle grace,

Remind myself that I am free

To set my own unhurried pace.

With every post, with every scroll,

I’ll choose to honor who I am

A living, breathing, precious soul,

Not just a picture or a brand.

So here I stand, and here I vow

To love myself a little more

To let my heart be brave somehow,

And close the door on keeping score.

The world may judge, the mind may doubt,

But I am learning to be kind

To let my truest self shine out

And leave the noise and hate behind.