“Perfect is the enemy of good,” attributed to Voltaire
How did that sneaky voice slip into my head,
telling me that perfection was attainable?
Was it years of hearing, “practice makes perfect”
that stopped me in my tracks when I longed to
break out of the expected,
keeping me caged in conformity?
Could it have been apprehension
of what other people might think or say?
It was a slow journey,
fighting against self-doubt and feelings of not enough.
I walked with discomfort as I forged ahead
on this uncharted path.
Sometimes the vines of uncertainty
would wrap around me, wanting me to stay put.
Soon, they held no sway over me,
and fell to the wayside.
When I began to let go
of the noise in my head that sought to contain me,
I found a fearless voice waiting to sing,
the shining me that had been there all along.

