Crossroads

you’ve found yourself at this crossroads

far too many times to count,

standing at the intersection of

what is and what could be.

the path you’ve walked

is a long, arduous one.

your feet have been scorched by hatred

and bitten by envy.

and all the while, the relentless, 

bitter wind sends shivers across

your spine as it taunts you,

shrieking,

who do you think you are?

the truth is, you don’t know.

you’ve asked yourself this question endlessly,

whispered it when you thought no one was listening,

screamed it when you prayed someone would listen,

hoping that the answer 

was tangled somewhere in the dense

cluster of trees surrounding you

because you were too afraid to find it within yourself.

what is it that makes you so different?

what makes you believe you can do it?

after all, the others couldn’t.

you see,

it takes courage to grasp

the opportunities that bloom before you

despite the false promises that you know will

prick you time and time again.

it takes resilience to watch your blood

sizzling on the rocks among 

the jagged shards of your broken dignity

and still have the will to move forward.

it takes faith to fight an unrelenting storm

of self sabotage as the fog of

what ifs blinds you, shrouding you 

in darkness with no indication of what is ahead.

it takes strength to hold onto

every ragged breath, as agonizing as it may be,

because you refuse to lose a single

piece of yourself along the way.

you see, 

it takes someone special 

to make the choice you’ve made

far too many times to count.

because every time you encounter this crossroads,

despite the temptation of an easier path,

despite the treachery you’ve endured,

you take another step forward

and decide to fight.

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