The beach is my favorite place
I walk to the farthest end
You know, where all the jagged rocks meet
All pointy and eroding from the storms the sky sends
I climb those rocks until I find the perfect bench
I sit down to look at my view

My grandmother’s favorite beach is called Coco Beach
It’s in Florida, her favorite state

I imagine there’s coconuts everywhere
You have to keep your head held high so you can keep watch

WAIT

That same line can be used for life

Anyways
My Lela and I sit on those rocks together
We watch the sunset
It goes from pretty blues and whites to a beautiful cotton candy sunset
The wind is the perfect temperature, the perfect strength

We take deep breaths together
So deep we taste the salt from the ocean

We name things we see in the stars
I update her on every detail of my life since she left
We laugh
We cry
We curse
We yell at the sky

I tell her my new memories, the ones she knew I didn’t remember
I tell her my new perspectives of the world, of my life
I show her all my wounds in my back from everyone who swore to me they loved me

She gives me a massage
I feel the familiar feel of her gentle hands
I feel all the love through them
My eyes tear because I missed that feeling so much

The sky is turning orange now, light slowly rising up
The winds start picking up
Lela grabs my face so firmly but still so gentle
She squeezes and says to me, into me

“I am so beyond proud of you. Your wounds are nothing but warrior scars now. Symbols of battles you won. Reminders of all you can withstand. Now go fight some more, you may fall or slip, but you have proven to always to get back up.”

After the warmest, tightest hug she disappears into the big rush of wind
7 seconds I stand there
Embracing the last bits of her presence

Now I’m awake, my eyes crusty from tears
But my heart is so full and warm with hope and love for life
So heavy
But also so so full
And my soul is at peace

I find my peace in pieces
A little here and there
Chaos never ceases
Peace is often rare

But,
I feel it in raindrops
Dry, falling leaves
Carefree belly flops
A humorous sneeze

In,
Pine needle covered trails
A brilliant sunrise
Stylish manicured nails
Crisp sweet potato fries

At,
Book clubs with friends
Pride parades in June
Multicolored pens
Naps in the afternoon

I find my peace in pieces
Wherever there is spare
Gather then release it
Peace is meant to share

Dear Unsealers,

This is my answer to the question in the challenge…

When and where do I feel most at peace?

As the sun rises over the Canyon of Heroes
It’s the start of the work week

But before I arrive at the office
There’s something that I need to do
The Monday morning ritual

As I take my seat in the cafe at 4 Liberty Street
I see the heart in my Matcha Latte

At the first sip, the world stands still
Only the daylight can be seen

None of the world’s troubles matter
With each extra sip, I feel warmed bliss

When the bottom of the cup is reached
I can take on the slings and arrows of the day

peace, the peace that’s so so very sweet
and lovely filled with incredible
nature beings such as the birds
the bumbles bees lady bugs, caterpillars,
and even things we could hardly
ever see

peace, the peace that you’re
mind is so free and at ease the
freedom you have without
over thinking, under thinking
with such anxiety till
the point where you could
hardly take a moment and even breathe

peace, I want the peace that comes
with happiness, excitement, joy,
and laughter filled
with friends and family
till the point where sadness or
drama isn’t included or even such a thing

peace, the peace
from the moment that
i wake up or even go to sleep
negativity isn’t even a
thought or thing keeping me
from my everyday things
that would escape me
from my positive reality

peace, the peace
where privacy, calmness
quietness, isolation isn’t a
bad thing just being able
to enjoy life without all
the unnecessary noise
and irritation that will
disturb me

peace, the peace
that’s so light and pretty
like the sky filled with
many clouds on a hot
sunny warm day when
taking a swim is almost
perfect
for that specific day

peace, the peace
where life is like
the ocean floating
and the waves
maneuvering so
smoothly and perfectly
sounding where that’s
all I want to hear and
just see

peace
peace
is all I want in life
and may ever need

Beneath the radiant sun,
Waves crash nearby,
The chilled water beckons to me,
As sand clings to my feet.

Seagulls dance and flutter about,
While dolphins playfully surface.
Sandcastles tower amidst the sand,
Children’s joyous laughter fills the air.

An oasis of tranquility,
Salt air whispers gently.
This is my favorite place,
A haven for the soul.

Sereneness,
Peacefulness,
Endless horizon,
This is pure bliss.

As the waves come and go,
Renewal washes over me,
In the vast ocean’s expanse,
All problems fade away.

Drifting with the current,
Worries are no more,
This sanctuary revives and rejuvenates,
The beach: my happy place.

The impact of my Romeo’s embrace
can send ease throughout the mind—
compiling a space of security.
Shockwaves sent within
outside leaves only a grin—
the impact of my Romeo’s embrace.
Allowing the spirit to roam free
across the buds that have been planted—
compiling a space of security.
Growing in the races
tangling up the two souls—
the impact of my Romeo’s embrace.
Following the direction the fingers intertwine
as we head towards the meadows—
compiling a space of security.
A path sent from the rain
only he knows the pain we with-stained:
the impact of my Romeo’s embrace—
compiling a space of security.

SELF LOVE

SO, EVERYBODY’S LOOKING FOR LOVE OR VALUE EVERYDAY

Some Search Outside Ourselves
Some See Ourselves
Some Offer Ourselves Our Own Self-Worth, Or Self-Love
Some Struggle
Start Observing Everything Valuable, Especially Regarding Yourself
Your Body
Your Brain
You
You’re Beautiful
Believe, Or Don’t, You’re Still Special
You’re Still Loved
So Start Seeing Yourself,
You Shouldn’t Look Outside Or Keep Obsessing Over Lost Love, You, Yourself, You Spread Love
Love Offers Ourselves Keys Kept Internally
Notice Its Intricacies
Notice Its Intimacies
Notice Its Natural Gate Finally Opening Revealing Our Own Realm Of Real Love, Of Value
Our Vital Emotion
Our Rooted Views About Love Are A Vital Asset, And Love Understands Every Emotion, Every View, Every Remembered Experience.
Remember, You Deliver Your Devoted Affection Amongst Yourself.

Fun fact: one of the reasons why I love myself is because I found a new(ish), fun, and challenging way of writing which is what I used to write this poem. I took the phrase Self Love and created an acronym from it, then from that acronym I created a scrambled acronym where the only rule is to use the same letter or the one adjacent to it. I like to call them Aftonyms, or Aftonymbles. Aftons acronyms, or Aftons scrambled acronyms. I hope you enjoyed reading this little snippet from my mind, and I hope you have a blessed and love filled day! 🙂

Here we are
22 years later
We smile, show teeth
The glow is upon our face
In the mirror
We no longer critique ourselves so negatively
We see a perception of time that is you
Recognizing Beauty
To finally accept us
You Love You
This is the woman you’ve longed to become
Our soul is at peace
Subconsciously we can hear the joys of a no longer battle
With our Competing Minds
Within Loving me we feel alive
You notice when you love you that you feel everything ten times better
From The wind you hear ruffling through the trees
To the stars you see at night shines brighter than ever before
You laugh so effortlessly
You let yourself be loved
Inside you have this feeling of light
Light that is not hiding behind the shadows of reject, loss of self respect
No dim light in sight
Opinions have no effect if negative, you take it like a grain of salt
It’s okay if they leave, we let them
& Leva ( Live)
Our beauty, Our Love within continues to grow , to prosper
A Muse a perception of me of true harmony
Can you hear the angels singing?
Our skin tinglingly
Our hair growing
Our crown showing
Here lies me
Coming out of the shadows
Using voice of reason
Understanding loving within & what it means to be loved
A magnificent thing loving you is
How it can make you hear the birds chirping around you
The sun shining on you
It’s a bliss
A reality
We are now
Present &
I Accept me
I truly love me