I turned away.

I must have been ashamed.

But this chance encounter

at the supermarket

shouldn’t scare me so.

Who am I to you?

Long ago stranger.

There are more years now

between us,

then there ever were

behind us

when we knew each other.

 

What memory holds

its brutal claws around me,

to make me feel so embarrassed?

I have done well.

I am happy.

What I’ve done

and who I’ve become

have improved me.

 

You were once

the scene of social grace,

beauty and ardor.

I have no doubt

that you still are,

but it is the past

that intimidates me.

 

I guess,

I’m still hanging on

to old insecurities.

I guess I should be letting go.

I don’t need these

persecutions.

Not from you,

not from myself.

 

I think it’s time

I deemed myself worthy

of being proud

of my accomplishments.

Who I am

is not that timid child

and weakness no longer

flows through my veins.

 

“Hi there! Very nice to see you again!

Yes, I am doing well.

Thank you for asking!”

 

That wasn’t so hard,

was it?

It turns out

I like it

when I like me.

I guess we all do.

So, shed the shame you carry.

 
HG -2019