Self-love
Artwork by S. Kavi

“Self-love is the ability to hold your own heart and remember you are worthy of goodness. Times might feel dark or light or even gray yet we must hold on to who we are to get through our challenges.”
S. Kavi is a South Indian American writer and artist who hopes to make others feel seen.
Instagram: @s.kavi_creates

Bandaged Heart 
Poetry by Diana Kurniawan
CW: Mental Health & Violence

A life less loved
Never needs to be a tragedy
One finds it in the inconspicuous
The budding roses, the sweet hug,
The sunflowers and the forgiveness
Of the open skies

A life destroyed 
Never needs to stay damaged
It mends in the peculiars
The spoken words, gratitude,
the thank you, the smile, and 
in the knowledge that I can go on

A heart shattered of violence
Should never give up 
On love and on breathing life
There are two ventricles evident
Showing one heart is complete
Everyone deserves second chances

A heart scarred of wounds
Bleeds vulnerability deserving of 
Mercy, grace, in faithful embrace
Of the vessels that won’t cease to pump
Into our minds, because it is
Infinite towards the universe
Diana Kurniawan is a poet and writer based in Colorado. 
www.DianaKurniawan.com