Jaye Marie and Anita Dawes

*

*

I owe myself an apology
For all of the times
I tore myself apart

When I neglected my own needs
Lowered my standards
Berated myself
And put myself down.

For the self-sabotage
I continually inflicted upon myself
And the times when I apologised
For being who I was
And expressing myself authentically.

And I owe myself
The permission to start anew.

To forgive myself
For the battles I fought
That weren’t mine to fight
For all of the love
That I failed to give myself

And for the times when I failed to realise
That rather than being broken
I was worthy of value, respect
And beautiful, brilliant things in life
And that how I treated myself
Dictated how others would view me
And in turn, behave towards me
So by showering myself
With love, kindness, forgiveness and respect
In turn, I could pave the way
For others…