too much

do you remember the first time you were called annoying?

how your breath stopped short in your chest

the way the light drained from your eyes, though you knew your cheeks were ablaze

the way your throat tightened as you tried to form an argument that got lost on your tongue?

your eyes never left the floor that day.

you were 13.

you’re 20 now, and i still see the light fade from your eyes when you talk about your interests for “too long,”

apologies littering every other sentence,

words trailing off a cliff you haven’t jumped from in 7 years.

i could listen to you forever, though i know speaking for more than 3 uninterrupted minutes makes you anxious.

all i want you to know is that you deserve to be heard

for 3 minutes

for 10 minutes

for 2 hours 

forever.

there will be people who cannot handle your grace, your beauty, your wisdom, your heart;

mostly because they can’t handle their own. but you will never be

and have never been

“too much.”

-tyler ford "too much"

this poem hit me like a ton of bricks and so I wanted to share it with you because I wanted you to be hit by bricks too, in the nicest way, of course.  

but real talk, I love every word of this poem. we all go through stages in our lives when we let our passions burn out a little because of what other people have to say about them, or about us in general. an anxious nagging creeps in from the parts of us that were wounded, and reminds us of our inadequacy. don't listen to that voice. don't let past wounds affect your future. just because one boy broke your heart, don't shut the rest of them out. just because one person told you that you have an ugly voice, don't let that stop you from singing. 
and just because one person told you you were annoying, don't you dare lose your voice. 

"all I want you to know, is that you deserve to be heard."

go read that again,

kjp