I’ve worn the heavy cloak of my past like a shield.

I’ve washed it, clung to it, apologized for it

But took so long to remove it to fully heal.

I finally laid it down, my bare skin now revealed.

But not ready to abandon it, I dragged it behind me up every hill.

Until one day I saw the load I carried.

It had lost all purpose and use.

So I set free this ever increasing noose.

The journey became so much lighter.

My strength quickly increased.

The burdens of my cloak now buried

The past with it lay deceased.