Poem About Imperfection, Accepting Flaws, and Not Being Perfect

A Poem On Accepting Our Imperfections and Realizing It’s Ok To Not Be Perfect

Dancing in the Light of My Darkness

I only wish to hack off these limbs
that have drank the poison of my affliction.
But I'm not a towering oak,
combating symptoms of blight.
I have no boughs that are rebellious offshoots—
exceptions to outstretched perfection.

No, if I began sawing away at this disease
that's entombed—hidden beneath hardened bark—
no part of me would go unscathed by the blade. 
Not one inch of me would be free from the grip 
of inescapable jaws, bound by sharp teeth
 
ripping through my essence like a helpless caribou,
shredded to fragments of entrails
by a pack of ravenous wolves;
blood splattered across snow
the only evidence of my existence.

I'm not my shadow,
but my shadow is part of me.
For my purity dances with darkness. 
Inseparable, conjoined twins that both
die without shared use of my organs.

Awareness is the only weapon
to slow down our monsters
that run rampant beneath the cover of night.
And acceptance, the only freedom from the inner critic
for cracked vessels still able to emit light.

Justin Farley

You’re Still Capable of Being a Light in the World Despite Your Flaws

Too often, we get bogged down by our weaknesses. We get trapped in a black and white view of life and ourselves where things are either all bad or all good. The problem, though, is that we’re human and flawed. No amount of willpower is going to change the fact that we’re going to make mistakes.

It doesn’t mean we don’t attempt to change our imperfections. It doesn’t mean we don’t try to be the best version of ourselves. But our shadow is always going to remain beneath our light. Being aware of our limitations and the areas we can improve in is our greatest strength. The risk, however, is believing that we’re somehow incapable of spreading any light in the world because of the darkness that’s within each one of us.

Send time working on taming your monsters. But spend the most time focused on spreading the light you still have. You’re still capable and qualified to be a source of light even if you contain a lot of ugliness. The brighter you shine, the less power your shadow has over you. When we obsess over our flaws—when we fixate on our imperfections—we begin to believe that they define who we are. You’re greater than the cracks that run through your beautiful vessel of light.

Click Here To Check Out My Spring Poetry Collection About Hope and Healing

Here’s Some More of My Poems About Accepting Your Weaknesses You May Enjoy:

Like Me – A Poem About Loving Yourself

Poem About Being Human, Making Mistakes, and Growing Old

Reflections – A Poem About Character Flaws