Then suddenly one day, she felt it was okay to just exist-- to walk at her own pace with sunlight on her face-- to not persist in the constant scrape and scheme to dodge threat, earn esteem, and avoid feeling. She was free to just be. And she said, "Mercy me-- so this is healing."
"the constant scrape and scheme" -- love that line, it's the harshest one in the poem but gives great contrast to the rest. Love the picture of the sunflowers, too! 🌻