According to her internal judge
she was never up to par,
even when crossing the finish line first
accomplishment slid off her skin. Always
gripping, holding on for acceptance.
Yet perplexed separation pained her days.
She wanted belonging
and never wanted to fit in
knew it would change her.
A part broken off to float away irretrievable.
No one else stayed after class to console the bullied teacher.
It never occurred to her not to.
She saw those faces on the fringe,
secretly knowing she was an outlier as well.
She let go of the kinship rope
not to lose herself.
© Alicia Grimshaw 2017
flashlight batteries - Ali Grimshaw 
I loved this one! I like the idea of letting go of the need for acceptance in order to stay true to ourselves. Some of us were born to be on the fringes, and that’s a good thing.
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Ann, great to hear your feedback. This came from a reflection of my time in high school. Often the time of life when one is deciding who to be and what matters.
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Those internal judges are the most severe and harsh. These contradictions are so familiar. I wonder if we can all relate in some way to them? Do we all do this to some degree, in some manner, in our lives?
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Great questions. I think it may just be part of being a human. Thanks for letting me know that you could relate.
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accomplishment slid off her skin. Always …
She wanted belonging
and never wanted to fit in
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Thank you for this reflection my friend.
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This is wonderful Ali!
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Thank you. I always appreciate your feedback.
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