Tag Archives: self acceptance

To Love Myself Whole

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The cold touches my bones,
until my body knows how to keep herself warm.
My naked body breathes the thin air,
of the top of the Mount Everest in the summer,
making me smile in this intimate moment.

To dance in the rain and lightning,
is finding the courage to love yourself whole.
Like a flower I bloom in the sunlight,
only to grow when the rain showers the swamp,
until the flood covers the entire earth of my soul.

The hair on my skin rises and falls,
on the soft breeze flowing from your mouth,
like soft kisses during our love making.
Released is the wild horse from her prison,
running across the meadows of her youth.

Love in the purest form never asks,
but only embraces what is there in this moment,
waiting to be caressed by the soft touch,
of the only soul who know how to love me well –
In this moment of self-awareness, I learn to love myself!

The photos and poetry on this site belong to me: Gineke van Keulen.
Please ask first if you want to use them or share them, or give me credit!
Thank you!

Self-Acceptance

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I close my eyes,
allowing my breath,
to flow fluently,
in and out of my lungs.
My mind eases,
and my heart finds peace,
in this moment.
In my mind’s eye,
a white lotus flower,
slowly opens her petals,
until she radiates,
her unique beauty.
Shades of silver and gold,
form a curtain,
around my soul,
and my inner child,
radiates like the sun.
In this silent moment,
of peaceful meditation,
my soul opens,
unfolding her petals,
until the lotus within,
shows her stunning beauty.
In a loving embrace,
I accept her,
love her,
and cherish her.
For the first time,
I see myself,
exactly as I am,
and I smile,
with the deepest gratitude.
I am a white lotus,
radiant like the sun,
with her petals,
wide open!  

Self Portrait

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You look back at me,
and I intently stare at you,
until I figure out your soul.

To understand the essence,
of the deepest core of your being,
would be a life lesson to me,
so, I decide to paint a picture,
until I have grasped,
who you really are.

Your face radiates a comfort,
I have never seen before,
that tells me about a peace,
I have never really felt.

Your face,
is a radiance of joy,
as if your heart is celebrating,
a feast I have never heard of.

Only now do I realize,
that you are a stranger to me,
and yet so extremely familiar.

Your smile,
lights up the darkest room,
and it is the one asset,
that I adore about you.
To see the light sparkle,
in your blue-grey eyes,
is a gift of joy,
to anyone who beholds it.

I am slowly starting to love you,
and a desire shapes in my heart,
to make friends with you,
something I never really wanted.

Maybe the only way to love you,
is by getting to know you,
in this private setting,
where you stand naked,
before my own eyes,
and the only thing I can do,
is admire you for smiling,
despite the many scars!

Authenticity

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Authenticity

My eyelids are weak,
my back is soar,
and the early morning,
forces me to scream.
I want to see the dawn,
with a colorful sunrise,
and tea to start my day.
Instead the day calls me,
with heavy stones,
and whiplashes breaking,
the fragile skin of my body.
My mind has become numb –
I stop the thinking,
as soon as I wake up,
in order to prevent,
the evil thoughts,
from crashing in on me,
leaving scars on a heart,
that is already broken.
I protect myself from a world,
who has abandoned me,
at the first breath of my youth,
for reasons I cannot comprehend.
Even the Heavens have gone silent,
unable to utter another word,
that could possibly encourage me.
The streets and bridges are empty.
Only a handful of birds,
dare to cross the sky,
unbothered by the disarray,
taking place beneath them.
My first breath in the morning,
which feels like the first breath,
of a terrified newborn child,
should be the one of a happy,
innocent child filled with wonder,
and glee of the future,
but cheerfully present in the day.
Instead I wonder about the changes,
and improvisations I could make,
to enhance my chances on a market,
that has put me in the box,
of misfits not pretty enough to sell.
Like the crooked cucumber,
that did not make the final cut,
to the runway of the supermarket.
But no matter how I put it down,
in beautifully crafted words,
to explain my small mistakes,
not one is good enough,
to force me to hide away.
I want to be my authentic self,
in a world of so many that look,
and behave exactly the same,
in a society that does not expect,
anything less than that.
I want to rise above the crowd,
of people so alike,
to show this world the beauty,
of standing out.
The worth in my soul,
wins it every single time,
of the desire to fit in.
So even if I have to live,
this one life I have been given,
in the company of myself,
I shall be happy,
for the only thing worse,
than complete loneliness,
is to be forced to kill,
my beautiful self.

Unchained

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Unchained,
you are free.
Able to spread your wings,
to fly away on the wind.
Away from me –
from who I am,
and who I used to be.

You are able,
to choose for me,
or against me.
You are free
to be,
who you were always meant to be.

I set you free,
like a bird from a cage,
because I love you,
and for love,
to be real pure love,
it has to be free.

Love is not chained,
nor forced or caged.
In the end,
love is free.

So now,
I am unchained,
I am,
finally free.

Inner Child

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Inner Child

Butterfly bushes grow in many colors,
and yet I can only look at you.
Your small eyes stare at me in great wonder,
as if you have a thousand questions to ask.

As the years went by I kept you at a distance,
but your soft whimpering haunted me.
As hard as I tried to run away from you,
I somehow carried you along with me,
making the distance nothing more than a hair.

After all these years I have stopped running,
to focus on what you are trying to say.
Without words I have to learn to assess,
every little movement you make,
and every little emotion you display.

If babies could speak the time would go faster,
but I have to learn how to embrace patience,
as the clock is loudly ticking behind me.

Then suddenly, for the first time in forever,
my hands reach out to you to lift you up,
into my arms where I know you are safe.
I have learned to understand what you need,
to give you everything you deserve at the right time.

The baby I am holding in my arms,
is none other than my own inner child,
who is teaching me that in order to survive,
I have to learn to accept and embrace her.

As the world is slowly passing me by,
and the last words of the sermon escape me,
I walk out of the church service,
with a wisdom that is greatly exceeding me.

In order to live life to the utmost fullest,
embracing the purpose awaiting you,
you first have to learn to take care of a baby –
the representation of your own inner child.

Self – Care

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Self – Care

As my hand strikes across my skin,
the oil pours into my soul,
as a well needed refreshment.
I can feel my skin breathe again,
pulling my depressive mind,
out of the thick black fog,
it has resided in for so long.

Sometimes we need to look,
at the person deep inside of us,
ask her what she needs to live,
to feel loved and cared for.
We need to embrace who we are,
and what we look like,
instead of punishing the beauty,
that we so evidently cannot see.

Look in the mirror and witness,
the beauty you already possess.
Instead of looking at your imperfections,
teach yourself to look at the assets of yourself,
that define your inner soul,
and make your whole being shine,
like the look in your eyes or a smile.

When we look at our own beauty,
we appreciate what we have been given,
allowing us to live a more positive life.
Self-care is the love we give to ourselves,
to rejuvenate us, embrace us,
and value the beautiful souls we are.

Self-care is the most precious gift,
we can ever give to ourselves,
and to the One who created us.
So, whenever you feel unloved,
begin to love yourself,
and your mind and soul will heal itself.

 

 

Unique

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Unique

White birds lift off across the water,
as palm trees wave upon the wind,
at the desert shore burning beneath my feet.
Elephants come and drink clean water,
while they embrace me in acceptance.
Aware of the lion’s hunting behind me,
I stay with the elephants for protection.
They make me one of their herd,
despite the obvious difference between us,
but they choose not to see what is there.
When the heart is willing to embrace love,
it will stop looking at the differences in hate.
It will learn to take the opportunity presented,
to learn the unknown in order to grow.
Wisdom is only gained when we are willing,
to step out of our comfort zone,
like brave researches searching for new treasures.
For those whose hearts are wide open,
paradise can begin to develop around them.
So, instead of remaining with my own kind,
I choose to stay with the elephants on the steppe –
the ones who have chosen to accept me,
the ones who have chosen to embrace me,
the ones who took a leap of faith with a woman,
who is so significantly different,
that the only word to do her justice is unique.