Love over hate.
Dedication over expectation.
Know yourself.
Recognize your ego.
Practice peace.
Accept reality.
Be the change.
Dream fearlessly.
Give freely.
Love yourself to love others.
Radiate.
Remember where you came from.
You are accountable to the stars.
Value your energy.
Practice gratitude.
Take pride in your work.
Empower your community.
Teach the children.
Listen more than you talk.
Meditate.
Breathe.
Slow down.
Focus.
Love.

^{When you are trapped in a nightmare, your motivation to awaken will be so much greater than that of someone caught up in a relatively pleasant dream.
—Eckhart Tolle}

When I realized the storm
was inevitable, I made it
my medicine.

Took two snowflakes
on the tongue in the morning,
two snowflakes on the tongue
by noon.

There were no side effects.
Only sound effects. Reverb
added to my lifespan,
an echo that asked—

What part of your life’s record is skipping?
What wound is on repeat?
Have you done everything you can
to break out of that groove?

By nighttime, I was intimate
with the difference
between tying my laces
and tuning the string section

of my shoes, made a symphony of walking
away from everything that did not
want my life to sing.

Felt a love for myself so consistent
metronomes tried to copyright my heartbeat.

Finally understood I am the conductor
of my own life, and will be even after I die.
I, like the trees, will decide what I become:

Porch swing? Church pew?
An envelope that must be licked to be closed?
Kinky choice, but I didn’t close.

I opened and opened
until I could imagine that the pain
was the sensation of my spirit
not breaking,

that my mind was a parachute
that could always open
in time,

that I could wear my heart
on my sleeve and never grow
out of that shirt.

That every falling leaf is a tiny kite
with a string too small to see, held
by the part of me in charge
of making beauty
out of grief.

^{translated from the Danish by Jennifer Russell and Sophia Hersi Smith}

I cannot:
cook
pull off a hat
entertain company
wear jewellery
arrange flowers
remember appointments
send thank-you cards
leave the right tip
hold onto a man
feign interest
at parent-teacher meetings.

I cannot
stop:
smoking
drinking
eating chocolate
stealing umbrellas
oversleeping
forgetting to remember
birthdays
and to clean my nails
telling people
what they want to hear
spilling secrets
loving
strange places
and psychopaths.

I can:
be alone
do the dishes
read books
make sentences
listen
and be happy
without feeling guilty.