For most of my life

I have existed only

in the minds of others

as those closest to me

projected their dreams

or their fears onto me

and defined me by

their own ideas of who I am

and I became a reflection

of other people

rather than fleshing out

my own identity

and knowing which

ideals and hopes

and dreams I truly embodied

or which ones were handed to me

as gifts wrapped with barbs

of control and unacceptance

hoping I could be changed into

a worthy accessory to complement

your own wardrobe of fading aspirations

and broken paths that never led

to a place that filled your own desires for

becoming something more or different

than who you were born to be

and I disappointed so many

when I healed the scars you left behind

and found myself hidden in places

you had not allowed me to journey to

because you could not release me

to find my truths and claim my words

and discover that I was more worthy

than you wanted me to know

and I looked to see me and

found the healed and hungry soul

waiting for me to open the doors

hope had been offering me a key to

so I could name myself and hold onto

the words and beliefs that had taken root

in my mind and defined who I now could

break free and be…look to see me…

—Chris Pepple 2025