The Power of Testimony

Verbal stories have been passed down throughout the generations,

throughout all of time.

We share of loves and of family,

and of triumphant battles,

of heartbreak and of loneliness,

and of our greatest falls.

And as I sit here with you all,

and listen to your words intermingle,

I, for the first time in a long time,

feel the bravery to remember my own.

To sit down with myself,

with my own truth, and remember.

To recall the worn, folded pages,

with scratched out words, and

think about the story of my life,

and wrestle with my demons,

as you speak of overcoming them.

I hear the chains breaking off of you,

off of me and I hear the sound

of freedom ringing.

The sound of a heavy heart,

and a tired soul,

finally at peace with their own truth,

and the healing to be found within it.

This is the power of empathy,

of shared truths,

of testimony.