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.