I rise, I sigh, and I think I’m wise
Rituals, smoothie, then head out for supplies
Years spent calibrating, just to survive
But now the cage is open, I don’t feel alive
I don’t watch the clock, and I don’t need to stop
…mid-conversation, though I’m observing a lot
Who can I trust if I can’t trust myself
Lurking in shadows, and moving in stealth
Stood in the doorway of my own youth,
Split by the silence, unsure what’s truth
Built from fractures, still catching the light
Imagination loosens in pockets of night,
Maybe it comes from staying, from braving the waves
From reaching the bottom and choosing to stay
I look in the mirror, take a breath, and return to myself
Blood in my cheeks, light in my eyes, no longer a shell
