Checklist

A love note and conversation with my inner self

I pulled out that crumpled list

from the bottom of my bag

Yeah, the one with the boxes half-empty

and the pen marks that look like

I was weary when I wrote it

I remember in January feeling excited

I even made what I thought was a prophetic,

Instagram post

that 2025 would be a phenomenal year

“Because people are tired,” I said

And it’s time to turn over a new leaf

As the months scurried along, I was

tossed and turned like that leaf 

swept up in a windstorm

Grasping for the stability of a tree

Hoping I’d bear the fruit that mirrored

My divine intention and heart space

Looking back on this year, I really, really tried

Most of the boxes are unchecked

So I’m feeling left behind

And then I heard a voice

That sounds just like mine

But more poised, calm, and reassuring

I was lifted with these lines:

“Those items left unchecked 

on your checklist

Does not mean that you’ve been reckless

Simply rewrite and redefine

What you’ve been doing with your time

You ain’t behind.

You ain’t failing.

You’re just living

and life doesn’t always move

like bullet points on a page

With your business

you took that training course,

stretched your mind like a new muscle,

came out with skills sharp enough

to cut through rooms that used to ignore you

You leveled up quietly

and quiet elevation still counts as rising

Okay, the workout plan

fell off somewhere between exhaustion

and real life knocking on your door

But now you know your body’s language;

what fuels it, what drains it,how to meal plan without starving your joy,

how to move in ways that honor your shape,

your rhythm, your history

Baby girl, that’s not a loss

that’s intel.

And intel is power.

In love, that box should be checked off

You’ve gotten further than you think

Those arguments, those quiet nights,

those truths that stung?

They handed you wisdom

about your man’s heart,

about your own softness and boundaries,

about loving in a way that isn’t self-sacrifice

but self-respect.

Girl,

this list isn’t a scoreboard.

It’s a story

and every unchecked box

is just a plot twist

that taught you something

you couldn’t have learned any other way.

So rewrite it if you want,

or don’t.

Either way,

you’re walking into the next year

with more knowledge, more strength,

more you.

And that?

That’s the biggest checkmark of all.”

I threw out the crumpled paper

that falsified my worth

Took another look in the mirror

Forgave myself

and smiled as I walked off

to celebrate ME.

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About Kiyaza

Kiyaza the Poet is a multifaceted author and creative whose work bridges poetry, design, and self-discovery. In her book Lost Between the Sheets, she invites readers into her intimate journey through relationships, friendships, and the layered experiences of life as a Black woman. Beyond her literary voice, Kiyaza channels her artistry into Water Lily Studios, a design platform of journals and planners, where she encourages reflection, creativity, organization, and self-sufficiency in everyday life. 

Her latest creation, Poetry in Bloom, is a collection of handmade, framed poems adorned with pressed flowers, celebrating beauty, resilience, and the art of storytelling.

Kiyaza’s writing focuses on the raw and reflective journey of self-discovery while exploring love, loss, healing, and growth through the lens of a millennial Black woman. 

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Connect with Kiyaza! 

Email: createdbyzakiya@gmail.com

Instagram: @kiyazawrites

Website: www.zakiyacreates.com  

Book: Lost Between the Sheets vol. 1 : https://a.co/d/6PaU3bV