I dove right in. I stopped drowning. Drowning?

In my own self-

Hate

Pity

Disgust

Without any sense of self-

Esteem

Confidence

Love

Love.

I found my self-

And love

But it wasn't easy.

I reached deep inside my skeleton

The one that ached

And starved

And cried invisible tears

For years.

It took me years

To find those tiny, stubborn

Muscles

Draped over my skull

The real ones-

Not the acting ones

The ones to make my whole self:

Smile.

I dove right in

To find myself.