“inner critic”

I’m a little bit much

a lot of the time.

If you look at me

and roll your eyes,

you wouldn’t be the only one.

I’ve outdone

every critic and cynic

who can find a flaw in me.

For every flaw they find,

I can find at least five:

my voice is too loud,

my stories are too long,

my hips are too wide,

I tell the punchline wrong,

and I never know when

to leave well enough alone.

So I sit on my own

and punish myself

for being a human being.

If I’m the harshest judge,

maybe no one’s opinions

can pierce my armor;

if I strike the biggest blow,

there’s no other cut

or wound that could hurt me.

But the fact of the matter is

I’m a little bit hurt

a lot of the time

from the insults I hurl at myself.

I’m just a girl trying her best.

Any other critique

can be put to rest.

‍