It’s okay
To be who I am
The sweat and shame
Becomes me

When did I become
A portion of a person
The doubt and perception
Shapes
And wrings my soul dry

I stood by the window
Waiting for my parents to come home

As they shopped
Three
Four
Five?
Hours

And my siblings played
indifferent

I stood

Stuck to the window
Overlooking the driveway
Fear and loneliness
Pulsing
Through my nine year old veins

Where does it begin?

The abandonment
And loss of self

This is how confidence
Breaks
I think
Because I never knew
For sure
They would come back.