my mind built a room safe from danger,

away from rejection, from every known

and unknown fears to keep me safe,

a perpetual sanctuary;

i peered out the little window,

where light poured in and showed

me all the things that were wrong

and yet so right, contradictions

and the chaotic beauty that coexists

outside of us and within us,

because to be alive means accepting

that nothing is fool proof,

that we are fallible and prone to

mistakes, a collection of

scraped knees and bruised

elbows, the devastation of a

broken heart, the countless tears

that sting our eyes and the

screams that echo in our ears;

are the remedy to feeling whole,

because despite the little voice

that begs us to stay, we leave and

our spirits are full because we dared

to venture outside of the padded

walls that were created to keep us

safe for a life of uncertainty, there

are no regrets outside these walls;

only beginnings.