When Shadows Speak

There’s a voice that lives inside me,

Whispering doubts in the quiet hours

It creeps in when the world is still,

Planting weeds among my flowers.

It tells me I am not enough,

That every step is bound to fail,

That dreams are made for other hearts,

And hope’s a ship with tattered sail.

I know this voice, its bitter tone,

The way it twists the light to gray

It wears the mask of reason’s face,

Yet leads my confidence astray.

But somewhere deeper, softer still,

Another voice begins to rise

A gentle truth that calls my name

And asks me not to trust the lies.

I learn to listen, pause, and breathe,

To question every harsh remark

Is this my wisdom or my fear?

Is this a warning or the dark?

The negative mind is clever,

sly,

It borrows words from wounds and scars,

It builds its case with ancient pain

And dims the shine of all my stars.

But I am learning

slow, but sure

To see the difference in the sound:

The voice that lifts,

the voice that loves,

The voice that keeps me safe and sound.

When shadows gather in my mind

And thunderclouds begin to form,

I light a candle, speak my name,

And summon courage through the storm.

I promise myself to be so strong

That nothing shakes my peace of mind,

To talk of hope and not of lack,

To leave the heavy past behind 2.

For every time the darkness calls,

I answer with a brighter song:

I am not small,

I am not weak,

I am the place where I belong 2.

So when the negative mind returns,

I greet it with a knowing smile

You are a shadow,

not the sun,

And I will walk this extra mile.

With every step,

I claim my light,

With every breath,

I rise above

For conquering the mind begins

With one small act of self-love 2.