I look at myself In the mirror, No longer with Sheer terror. I look with pride With each stride. I face each day At a different pace. Life no longer feels Like a race. I no longer vent with Fire in my eyes. I now dream to inspire Myself each day, To find my spark In my own way. No waiting on A distant sign, The quiet strength Is already mine. One small step forward, Clear and true, To build the life I'm growing into. Through cloudy skies And heavy rain, I find the strength Inside the pain. Each stumbled path Becomes a guide, With newfound grace Right by my side.

The calmness, of the fall breeze. It soothes my angered soul. From wounds, that have taken their toll. Wounds that have a grasp on my identity. Scars that once weren't me. They take me to tomorrow. One of which, I wish is not full of sorrow. These tomorrows have me on borrowed time. Reclaimed from a war, A war I fought fiercely. One that was full of grief. Even though brief. It has left a hole in my soul. It was my tenacity, that you can't see. That has held my hand. Taken a stand. When I felt like I didn't have a choice but to voice. To give them a piece of my mind. But it came out unkind. It is the calmness, I need to remind me. to ground me.

These memories keep haunting me taunting me. I need to be set free. Who is thee that calls upon me? Those that guide me with each and every stride, I bide my time. In echoes of forgotten things, I feel you here in silent ways. Within the tears upon my face, reminding me you're never lost. You call to me when days are long, a whispering wind, a steady song, to carry on and not despair; for even gone, you're still here. I hear your voice within the rain, within my loss, within my pain. Though I cannot see your face, I feel you in every place.

She wrote late, compelled by the shadows of the previous day. There was so much she had not said. She was wandering into the last days of her former self, her mind clearing through the haze of thoughts that carried their old pain. Those who came before left their imprints once more. She had pushed them away, yet she knew they would stay. They kept playing in her head, echoing softly even as she slept. They will never be forgotten, but they will not hold place in this next chapter. She will no longer chase the memories once dear. She will not fear their presence as she steps quietly into this new race.