Alone

She
is alone.
Left to figure it out
on her own.
Trying to make sense
of the darkness.
Unable to comprehend
the heartless.

Where are they now?
Somewhere better
without me.
Hollow halls,
emptiness calls
I’ll just wait
silently.

It must be me.
I am the burden.
Too much.
Not enough.
Nothing at all,
that is certain.

I will find some way
to earn my worth.
Working tirelessly,
endlessly,
to shake off the curse;
of being unwanted,
unlovable,
unknown.
Searching for value,
a face,
and a home.

I’m so tired of looking for you.
I’m exhausted
from effort;
trying to manifest life
in this dry,
empty desert.

To say to her now:
I see you, sweet girl.
You are absolutely precious;
a gift.
a pearl.
I know your deep longing,
you’re hiding your zest.
It’s time to stop striving,
and finally rest.

Maggie Hemphill is a trauma-informed life coach and story group facilitator at Storied Life Coaching, where she meets people in the depths of their stories and guides them to living a more integrated life of meaning and purpose. She is the co-host of the Arise Podcast having conversations around faith, race, justice, gender and healing that seek to tell a truer narrative of our collective stories. Maggie supports and empowers other women as brand affiliate with Trades of Hope, supporting women out of poverty and human trafficking through education and employment making fair trade jewelry and ethical fashion. Maggie lives in the Pacific Northwest with her husband and three hilarious kids and is in constant awe of God’s glory and goodness.