"Afraid"

This poem came across my desk this morning. It was written by a young woman going through some very difficult times right now. She resides with her 2 children in a transitional shelter, struggles with substance abuse, and other issues. Even though this was only my first time meeting her, she gave me something to look forward to.  Although this young woman and I have very different lives, her words in this poem spoke to me. We may not be struggling or dealing with the same problems, but we are both afraid... I look forward to seeing her succeed (even if they are just attempts or intentions to succeed). Sometimes that is all we can do is attempt to do better.




Afraid


I am afraid of following through
because I have never done so in the past.

I am afraid of people having little or no faith
in me because of my lack of faith in myself.

I am afraid people won’t care if I succeed
because I don’t feel important enough.

I am afraid I can’t finish what I have started
because I hear doubt in my voice.

I am afraid of all this change
because I’m so set in my ways.

I am afraid others will sabotage me
because I worry about what everyone thinks of me.

I am afraid I am too weak, but I am not
weak at all. I’m strong and determined.

I am afraid to ask for help for fear of getting
rejected and forgotten.

I am afraid I am doing something wrong
because nothing seems right at the moment.

I am afraid of not being in control of my own life.
It makes me feel completely helpless.

I am afraid I won’t be able to let go of my past
because of my fear of the future.

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