A New Chapter

It’s different this time,
There are no anchors anymore.

I am a different woman.

Just memories and experiences,
wrapped in the beautiful messiness
of life and growth,
calling to be unraveled,
released, and revealed.

It’s different this time because
the rooms I walk out of—and into—
will never encounter the same woman again.
I no longer desire
to recreate her for anyone.
It’s both liberating and frightening.

It’s different this time because
I am uncovering who I am now,
deciding who I want to be tomorrow.

It’s different this time because
I am not bound to the past
nor to the expectations of the future.

It’s different this time because
I am listening only to my own voice,
carrying no one's baggage but my own,
putting it down, piece by piece.
I am accepting no one’s version of me,
except my own.