I don’t need anybody to validate me.
The pain and darkness that i feel.
2013 David smiling at the man he sees in 2023. 
Stuck in the cycle of staying still.
Wanting to grow but life’s unclear.
The scaffold days free my mind
but the summer has increased my fears. 

Fear that I’m alone in this shit.
Fear that I’m stuck and can’t grow past the slips. 
Fear that I’m defined by my lesser moments.

Dear David:

If anything i feel more lonely in this period of my life. Abandoned. Ashamed.

Ashamed that i believed i deserve better. Ashamed of my mistakes these last couple days. But each day i promise to do better. To hold myself accountable. To pray and love. To give to myself through my loneliness.