Author: kinthiakouture

Out of the Mouth

.Reading time 2 minutes.

May my sins and iniquities be cast far away,
Like clouds scattered by the winds of a new day.
For today is a gift, like manna from heaven,
A breath of grace, by which I am forgiven.

Let me learn from the wounds that scar my soul,
From the shadows I’ve walked, to be made whole.
Each step I take, may it be towards the light,
A journey of healing, from darkness to bright.
I long to be more than I was yesterday,
Transformed by His love, I walk in His way.

Washed by the blood, cleansed from my shame,
Renewed in His name, I call on His claim.
Under His shelter, I find my peace,
From the world’s distractions, I seek release.

Make me whole again, O Lord, I plead,
Fill my heart like a river, with Your holy seed.
May my cup overflow with joy unspoken,
For in Your love, I am never broken.

Let Your spirit within me rise and shine,
For You are the truth, the life, the vine.
In the garden of Your love, let me take root,
And grow strong in Your truth, like a tree with deep fruit.
With You, I will flourish, in Your grace I stand,
Forever guided by Your holy hand.

I separate from the world, as the wheat from the chaff,
Draw near to Your presence, and feel Your staff.
For You are the Shepherd, and I am Your sheep,
In Your green pastures, my soul You keep.

~Written by K.inthia

The Shield of Grace 

.Reading time 1 minute.

I am but a seed, sprouting in a world that seeks to devour.  

Nightly creatures surround me, cloaked in deceit,  

Their whispers, snares—luring with false promises of belonging.  

Disguised in sheep’s clothing,  

They drink deep from the well of my joy,  

Siphoning the goodness within me,  

Wearing masks of virtue,  

Ordaining themselves in false righteousness.  

Yet my soul aches, burdened by the weight of their lies,  

Weary from the relentless press of deception,  

Like thorns choking the tender vine of faith.  

But I am covered,  

By the blood of the Lamb,  

The Passover sacrifice,  

His righteousness a fortress around me,  

The shield of His grace my protection.  

In Him, I find refuge and strength,  

The Rock of my salvation,  

A strong tower I can run to and be safe.  

Though the enemy rages,  

I am more than a conqueror,  

For through Christ, I rise.  

~Written by K.inthia

In the shadows of the storm 

.Reading time 2 minutes.

As I gaze at this version of me,  

A broken vessel, lost at sea.  

Defiled, devoid of love’s warm embrace,  

Hollowed out in this empty space.  

Wounds that ache and refuse to heal,  

A wildfire where despair is real,  

Consuming each cherished memory,  

Leaving behind a ghost of me.  

A fear that lingers, knows no end,  

A fleeting shadow, a weary friend.  

Life feels unworthy, a bitter jest,  

A withered bloom, denied its rest.  

Yet here I stand, a shattered vase,  

Clinging to hope in this dark place—  

An endless stream that slips away,  

Help me! Please, God, I pray!  

My silent plea lost in the whispers of the wind,  

A desperate call for strength to begin.  

The pain, a tide that pulls me down,  

Sinking beneath its weight, I drown.  

But in this darkness, I still fight—  

A flicker of a distant light.  

Perhaps a spark, a fragile thread,  

To pull me back from this abyss, dead.  

The storm inside rages on, unkind,  

Yet in its fury, I seek to find  

A strength unknown, a quiet flame  

That rises from the deepest shame.  

For in the cracks, the light may leak,  

In brokenness, we’re often made meek,  

But even weakness carries might,  

When clung to in the darkest night.  

So I stand, though weary, bruised,  

A soul in turmoil, yet still used.  

And though the road is hard and long,  

I find in silence, a rising song.  

I am more than sorrow, more than pain—  

I’ll rebuild from ash, from loss, from rain.

~Written by K.inthia

9 to 5

.Reading time 1 minute.

Work, work, work—endless, no pause, 
Burdened by deadlines, my spirit withdraws. 
Each effort I give, met with silence and doubt, 
A heart worn to fragments, feeling burned out. 

If I were to vanish, would anyone care? 
Just another cog in this unforgiving glare. 
Stress builds like shadows, consuming my breath, 
Anxiety whispers, “You’re running to death.” 

Mask on in public, concealing my pain, 
A smile painted bright while I silently strain. 
But when night falls, I shed this disguise, 
In the arms of my loved ones, where truth never lies. 
Finding solace in laughter, in moments we share, 
Pushing through the darkness, finding light in their care. 
Another day looms, but I’ll keep fighting still, 
For love’s gentle presence ignites my will.  

~ Written by K.inthia

The Politeness Paradox

.Reading time 3 minutes.

In the echo of a crowded room, 
words are fragile glass, 
shattered beneath the weight of silence, 
each fragment a whisper of unfulfilled potential.

I wandered through a maze of tongues, 
where expectations entwined like ivy, 
twisting and constricting, 
suffocating my breath and thoughts.

But deep within, a fire smoldered, 
embers of defiance sparking, 
each flicker a call to rise, 
to weave my own tapestry of sound.

Please do not misconstrue my thoughts; 
my words are forged from fierce conviction. 
Blunt, jagged, raw— 
they cut to the core, 
unmasked and unapologetic.

Layered in the silk of societal politeness, 
my voice simmers like a dormant volcano, 
a tempest poised to erupt, 
unyielding to your judgments. 
I speak what I must; I refuse to be silenced.

Did you read between the lines? 
Did the truth sting your eyes, 
unraveling the fabric of your comfort? 
Did you finally grasp 
that I am no longer a ghost, 
lost in the shadows of your expectations?

I am the storm, 
a force bending the trees, 
roaring my truth against the winds of conformity. 
With each reclaimed syllable, 
I carve my name into the silence, 
transforming judgment into a symphony of self.

I am learning to sing, 
to let my words cascade like rivers, 
flowing freely from the depths of my soul, 
where independence blossoms, 
a wild garden, untamed and alive.

So, please do not misconstrue my thoughts; 
they are the fire igniting my spirit, 
a testament to my rebirth— 
the beauty found in the chaos of my expression.

I dance on the precipice of belief, 
my voice a phoenix, 
rising from the ashes of doubt, 
unraveling the chains of ‘should’ and ‘must.’

No longer bound by invisible threads
of society’s design,
I embrace the chaos of my expression,
finding strength in the raw and unrefined,
where my voice roars like thunder,
a fierce declaration of my authenticity,
proclaiming: I am here, I am whole,
and I will not be silenced.

~Written by K.inthia

Contradictions of the Heart

.Reading time 1 minute.

You cherished the secrets Victoria sought to keep, 
Yet, like a shadow, you masked your true intentions from me. 
Adorning lust with deceitful jewels, 
You called it love while I reached for dreams you spun, 
Silken threads slipping through my desperate fingers. 
Your actions spoke a language of stark contradiction, 
But who was I to question the illusions?

You shone with clarity while I wandered, blind and lost, 
Struggling to decipher the blurred lines you cast, 
In a solitude we never dared to name— 
Now only echoes of my sorrows whisper my name. 

Here lies the death of the girl I once was, 
The lover you cradled tenderly, 
Now a ghost, fading like whispers of a future 
Only I dared to dream. 
Withering under the weight of shattered promises, 
Like petals crushed beneath careless feet, 
Once vibrant blooms reduced to dust, 
Scattered in the breeze, a haunting trace 
Of my tender seeds of authenticity, 
Now lost in the shadows of what could have been.

~ Written by K.inthia

Twenty-Five [Updated Version]

.Reading time 1 minute.

At twenty-five, a weight upon my chest, 
Spring cleaning thoughts, seeking peace, seeking rest. 
Amidst the clutter, my heart felt so frail, 
Rebuilding my worth, as old dreams began to pale. 

Why did I chase what left me so hollow, 
A shattered reflection, a path hard to follow? 
Justifying choices wrapped in despair, 
Believing I didn’t deserve love’s tender care. 

Each lie a punishment, a chain tightly wound, 
Wondering in silence if hope could be found. 
The mirror’s gaze pierced, “Is this truly me?” 
In the depths of my struggle, I longed to be free. 

Self-reflection like fire, igniting the night, 
Unraveling whispers, reclaiming my light. 
At twenty-five, I rise from the pain, 
Embracing my journey, no longer in vain.

~ Written by K.inthia

Caterpillar of Existence

.Reading time less than 1 minute.

I am a caterpillar of existence

Eating away the lessons of life

Until I have learned, I will not be satisfied

Until I grow, I will not learn how to fly

~Written by K.inthia

Navigating Friendship Dynamics in Your 20s: Insights and Reflections

.Reading time 5 minutes.

If a friendship can be defined as a state of enduring affection, esteem, intimacy, and trust between two or more people then why is this something we struggle to obtain, manage, and/or maintain. It looks like since being 25, I had to truly reflect on the dynamic shifts in my friendship. Partially due to everyone being at a stage in life where they must put themselves first; whether in their career, love life, or mental health – and me having to be okay with this as well as respecting their boundaries and realising that they are no longer as easily accessible as they have once been. This is not necessarily a bad thing as I believe everyone should be able to do what they believe is best for them, but it felt like I was not mentally prepared for this shift in my friendship dynamics. This was even more highlighted when I was going through my difficult times at the start of 2024, and I truly learned a lot about my own personal boundaries and how best to navigate my current friendships as well as future ones.

  1. Keep the same energy: I learned that some people would go over and beyond for you whereas others wouldn’t. As a fellow people pleaser, I tend to put other people’s needs before my own and I forget that not everyone will give you the same respect or energy that you pour in. This does not mean, I am tallying up scores of what they do but it just means that I have no expectations from my friends I am always grateful for the efforts they put in and if I plan to assist, help, or just be present it’s because I want to and I am now learning to feel less guilty for respecting my own boundaries that I put in place because I know they will respect their own.
  2. Arm’s Length: The older I get, the more I realise that some friendships are better at an arm’s length approach not because they are bad people or you have any issues with them but because you may have most things in common but the things you don’t agree with can clash when you spend a longer time together or a specific type of events or social activities. The love is still there but for your own mental health, it is okay with the small doses of contact.
  3. Friendship requires Effort & Communication: Just like any relationship, you must invest time, and effort and actively communicate and respect each other’s boundaries. There will be people that you naturally are going to be closer to in your friendship groups but that does not mean that you now neglect your other friends. I believe friendship is one of those things people take for granted and believe are easily disposable but it’s truly one of life’s best gifts when nurtured correctly.
  4. Making New Friends: I’ve learned that a friend of my friend is not necessarily my friend but rather we are acquaintances with a mutual connection. This means that they will not give you the same grace as your friend will because they do not know you and that you must put twice as much effort into creating those bounds and even with those efforts, they may only just tolerate you. I have found that I much rather make my own friendship connections where I can build up from the ground up rather than walking on my tip toes not wanting to offend others and therefore not putting my friend in a compromising situation because of misunderstandings.

You are probably wondering why I am writing this, but I believe through open conversation that this phenomenon is quite common among a lot of those in their 20s and I just wanted to reaffirm that you are not alone in this journey we call life and that this are all valid feelings to feel. Hopefully, my words have given you a new perspective on the best way to navigate through this shift.