Between Bruises & Blooms

There is
a maze
inside my mind.

I know
because I built
half the walls
myself.

One corridor
for what if.

One
for remember when.

A dead end
made entirely
of conversations
I replay
with better answers.

Somewhere
in the center
is a version
of me
who is calm.

I assume.

I have never
found her.

I keep
leaving myself
little markers.

Breathe here.

Eat something.

This thought
is not a prophecy.

You have survived
this feeling
before.

Sometimes
I still circle
the same fear
until it looks
like truth.

Sometimes
I forget
there is sky
above the maze.

But I am learning
something
about labyrinths:

the goal
is not always
to memorize
every turn.

Sometimes
you climb
the wall.

Sometimes
you sit down.

Sometimes
you stop
calling yourself
lost
just because
the way out
is taking longer
than you hoped.