Be there for your tattered soul.

Hold the fragmented pieces tenderly.

Do not chastise them for being fragile and succumbing

to the weight of emotions.

Be there for yourself even if it is hard.

Close your eyes and breathe three times.

Delight in the filling of your lungs, even if it is hard.

Offer yourself a smile.

You deserve all kinds of rays of sunshine

and all gentle warm breezes caressing the valley of your cheeks.

You do not need to polish your pain to fit the narrative of others,

or adorn it with fancy words for it to be acknowledged.

Your pain is real, and even if it is hard,

Smile to yourself for five seconds.

Life wants you to be present.

Life was made for you.

Life is you.

Do not give up.

I think the saddest word in the english language is

Almost.

We have so many words for sadness

Blue

Melancholy

Sorrowful

somber

Bitter

Weeping

Sorry

Dejected

heartbroken

Broken.

You can count them like stars until you fall asleep,

But almost is

Unfinished

Not quite

Just about

Anything.

Almost is what could have been.

What almost happened.

So close, and yet so far.

Almost is

a missed throw

Burnt toast

A flat note

Bottled tears

a candle blown out before you could pick up any more matches.

She almost lived her dream.

He almost didn’t break the lamp.

They almost had fun today.

He almost missed the train that crashed.

She almost got to the hospital in time.

I almost loved you.

She loathes her looks, detests how her curls won’t quite stay in perfect place. She’s disgusted by her yellowing teeth and the red bumps which mar her face. She looks at other women, wishing she could have their flawless complexions and petite figures. They say beauty is in the eyes of the beholder, but she’s looking through a dirty glass. She makes sure she’s in perfect form when she uploads a photo to social media, accepting silent applause when it gets 3 or 4 likes. She was caught off guard when he noticed her in a sea of online faces - clicked on her profile and began being one of those nice guys she’s always dreamed of. He was an ocean, filled with healing vibrations, and she yearned for his embrace and acceptance. He randomly asks for her to send him a photo on a rainy afternoon, just so he can admire the beauty she’ll never notice. A butterfly can’t see its wings because they’re invisible to its own eyes, but he can see her wings, and she astounds him more and more every day. One day she’ll see her beauty, even if it takes their entire lives for him to convince her she’s the loveliest angel he’s ever seen.