Ali Walks Around

She feels she has to suffer

to deserve joy.

So she derives herself from joy,

suffering each day,

only to gorge herself with pleasure.

The man

taught her that in order for her to “earn” joy

she must work

and behave

and be quiet

but yet be different

and be beautiful

but yet be intelligent

and well informed

and everything else all at once.

When in fact

she is already all those things

but doesn’t see it for herself.

So the world doesn’t see it either.

Therefore,

she thinks she isn’t.

Every day she suffers

due to her “failure” of his impossible task.

When, in fact,

she is her only task.

The man doesn’t need to tell her that she belongs

when her presence on this earth

makes it so,

just like the trees

and flowers

and animals

and rocks

and lakes.

Whether or not she is what they want her to be,

she belongs as she is.

And she can choose to suffer

to forever try to convince the man of this truth,

or she can choose to accept her truth

and accept the mountains

accept the flowers

accept the animals

accept the rocks

accept the lakes

and

enjoy.