First came the realization. Then the long-hand journaling to process it. Then came the art: this collage above and this poem below.

My Work
by Elizabeth Shepley

My work is about me.

Pausing in the discomfort,
Holding the tension,
I gasp in the freedom
to breathe.

Peeling away layers of muck,
Choosing my hard, my truth,
I feel into the purpose
to love.

Redefining relationship with the world,
Challenging everything they taught,
I lean into the clarity
to know.

Without me, there is no meaning.