Self to Self

by Phrieda Bogere

shedding old skin,
wasting time on
the inevitable,
i'm sorry for being
a disappointment.
being stuck for 24 years,
learning now,
finally gathering
the courage
to crawl.

misery,
hesitation,
i could never
trust myself.
helplessness,
a real lack,
running on crumbs.
friday morning,
i had a panic attack,
eyes welling up,
gasping for air,
betraying my body,
operating at a deficit.

i shouldn't be
making the same mistakes,
but i'm still holding
on to what's familiar,
they keep saying
it's going to kill me,
now it's slowly killing me,
i'm trying to find my way out.

---

Phrieda Bogere had written poetry for years before making the decision to share her work with a wider audience. Her work has been featured in Brave Voices Magazine, Across the Margin, Writing in a Woman's Voice, and others. When she isn't writing, she loves exercising and getting lost in a good book.