Less than a minute
That was all it took
for your eyes to find mine
and you to catch the look
that said “I am not fine”
before the smile returned
and you held up one finger
showing that you heard

We were gone within seconds
and I’ll always be
grateful for the way that
you’ll always find me
a way out of situations
as they come
through clandestine conversations
on the run

Grateful for
what came before
for teaching me a lesson

To trust my gut
and wonder what
could truly be my passion

It’s hard to see
our growth if we
just keep our eyes set forward

So take the time
to glance behind
and notice what you’ve conquered

It was always loud, an
incessant chatter
snapping me out of the moment and
strapping me in for the ride

Comical, now
because
nothing was actually wrong
then

These days, I sit in meeting
after meeting
placating assholes
nodding
smiling

pretending millions of people
aren’t dying

and that drone
of anxiety
has become
white noise

So constantly present
in the background
that I’m almost no longer
aware

and I greet
with care
the wish to just escape
to quietly cease

and I laugh
that I ever felt like dying
when I was actually able
to live

Carefully choose
what is anchoring you
instead of just letting it happen

For we don’t really know
what we want to hold
and what is just holding us captive

If we take a step back
and actually ask
where we are and where we are going

Turns out we might find
that we’ve been misaligned
and realize that’s why we’re not growing