Before you reach to mend another’s soul,
Pause, and tend to the cracks within your own.
For how can hands, still trembling with despair,
Bind up wounds in others, if they are not yet repaired?
Look into the mirror, not just with your eyes,
But with the heart that seeks where truth lies.
Do not mask the scars, nor silence your pain,
For in the light of honesty, healing begins to reign.
The world may call you to be their guide,
But first, let wisdom in your heart reside.
Fix yourself, let grace and strength be your tool,
Then, when you reach to help, your touch will be true.
In fixing yourself, you will find the way,
To lead others out of the shadowed gray.
Stand tall in the light you have found within,
And let your journey inspire others to begin.
© Ifedolapo Ogunniyi
2024
Ifedolapo Ogunniyi 