From the prompt: “Don’t be afraid of…”
The day you had to go home and I got a little sick
The day I had to go to the hospital
It’s in your own imaginations
Don’t be afraid of it – Haha
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What are you doing?
I don’t know what you think it is, but you are wrong
You have no idea what it means for the people
Our lives, the things that we are going through
Your world is not a lot more than a studio
You are not involved in this group
This life with me and my wife and the world
You know what you’re doing, to us
And in the appraisal, you’re not what we want
*
Don’t be afraid of being outnumbered
The righteousness of others,
The wall street journal or blog posts about the future
They are all afraid, digging for bad weather
Afraid of social security or sun cream or something else
I don’t think you can use that in place of the way you feel about things
Or following your dream and being true to yourself
Don’t be afraid of not being a very good person in the world
Or losing the best way to be
There are one or more ways for you to be you
So don’t be afraid of trying something else
Of going outside your comfort zone
Of what it would really be like
To be happy with your own life
Don’t be afraid of the way you look
Of analysing who you have been and what you have done
Of seeking help with your mental health
Of going back down before you get back up
Be honest with yourself, it’s ok if you don’t know
If it’s going to be a cold or rainy day or not
I know you are in the sunshine if you’re doing life your own way
And, in a relationship with your partner
Don’t be afraid to say what you are
To tell him of you, your message, your World
Don’t be afraid of the fact that the world is not a good place
It can be a great place if you want
Please don’t worry about it all the time
Do what you want to do with your life
Comfort your family and friends, without coming into contact with them
But also, make sure you vote, you have to do it again soon
So don’t be afraid of what “great” really is
Don’t be afraid to ask for the best
With thanks to:
Joel Russell ∙ Zoe MacPherson ∙ Lottie Seymour ∙ Alex Scott ∙ Ben Tye ∙ Julian Kashdan-Brown ∙ Michael Francis ∙ Catherine Light ∙ Katie James ∙ Julia Kashdan-Brown ∙ Jonathan Mann ∙ Amy Hodkin ∙ @poetryof_loren ∙ Anja Črnivec ∙ Owen Schaefer ∙ Amelia Rice ∙ Amy Zhang ∙ Gayathri Kandiah ∙ Willow Orton ∙ Callum Churchill ∙ Daniel Lovatt ∙ Raffaela Martuccio ∙ Helen Francis ∙ Bronwyn Calway ∙ Lydia Cline ∙ Bella Doyle
Jessica Kashdan-Brown 