Carrying regret for promises broken

and dreams delayed, I stumble,

slipping further from the  next step

With tender flesh, now torn and bloodied,

it is an alternate route I seek



Strangled by the weight

of what might have been had the path been carved

by one more passionately dedicated,

I explore dark alleys and dead ends

and shed tattered skin



Discovering strength in the darkness

I am reborn, fortified by scars that frame

a warrior’s body, calloused and tough

Pushing through pain and failed plans,

I do not mourn the life I left behind



Hardened but not quite bitter, I forge new pathways

paved with steel and clarity and heart-stopping curves

Knowing it is the rest stops scattered along the way,

created by the gentle parts of who I once was,

that provide the perfect road map





prompts: wispwrit #10, WrittenRiver #497, WyldeVerse #82



photo: Seabamirum