a stillness i become

A poem about change and growth

should i journal,

should i write,

should i keep bleeding

onto the page—

or lay down the pen

and just breathe?

bookshelves collapse

under the weight of stories,

a cascade around me.

i’m running—

dodging truths

that rise like smoke

from a fire i can’t put out.

the ache wants a drink.

the fear wants a cave.

i want to disappear

before i discover

what's been buried

in these murky depths.

my spirit—

bent,

strained,

threadbare

from the tug of survival.

i cry out—

but silence

catches my voice

like fog on cold glass.

and then—

a pause.

a stillness.

i sit.

i listen.

i stay.

in that sacred hush,

i wrap myself in warmth

i thought was lost.

grounded,

i become my own shield.

a shelter

i never knew

i could build.

safety drapes itself

over my shoulders.

the breath returns—

soft as wind

through trees

that have weathered every storm.

peace,

not promised,

but found.