! Zero Self-Esteem, Zero Self-Valuation Poem by Michael Shepherd

your life’s a mess.
you’re a mess.
oh forget the details.
a mess. totally.

so who to blame?
your parents of course, like everyone else does.
they **** you up, your mum and dad.

so?

try this one.
it’s Hindu, it’s unprovable, but
it’s a working model, if you’re not into
praying for God’s mercy, absolution, etc.
or you could even do that as well.
safety in numbers.

this is how it goes.
we have a succession of lives.
how you lived your last life
lays down the pattern of events (just the events)
of the life you’re living;
however
and this is where the mercy comes in
because deep down, we’re all perfect as constructed,
you have the power to overcome all these

just like a steeplechase course
where after the last race
you put up the hedges, ditches, fences, water hazards
to test yourself this next time,
improve your jockeying skills.

so, it all depends on you;
you got yourself into it,
so you can get yourself out of it

the bracing thing
(you want to be braced, yes?)
is that if you can see it like this, you can
stop blaming anyone, anything, else

it just could do wonders
for your self-esteem.
trust me.
I’ve ridden the course.