Show me how to be brave. 

How to be made of still and steady ground instead of waves, 

or rocks instead of fire, and flickering, dying flame. 

How to walk in the storm and not be swallowed by wind, 

or how to breathe when your throat feels as though it’s rapidly tightening, and closing in. 

Help me speak the truth. 

How to pass along words that may be hard to swallow, 

how to not ignore all things that must be noticed. 

Guide me on how to be wrong. 

How to knock on a door and apologize, how to listen hard to feedback, 

how to nod and agree when I should simply go along.

 Help me unlearn what I’ve learned, unravel what shouldn’t stay tied, 

and walk away, even when it will never feel comfortable, gentle, or right.

Victoria Erickson, Writer