The Lantern of Tomorrow

Beneath the veil of midnight skies,

Where broken dreams and silence rise,

I walk along a winding way,

Where night gives shape to coming day.

The earth is rough, the stones are cold,

Yet in my heart a spark takes hold.

A fragile flame, a breath, a song,

It whispers, “Child, you still belong.”

The shadows stretch, the winds may roar,

The doubts may knock upon my door.

But through the storm, I will not yield,

For hope remains, my hidden shield.

The road is long, the hours slow,

And yet through darkness, still I go.

For every step, though burdened, sore,

Brings me to places unexplored.

I see the rivers, fierce, untamed,

They mock the weary, lost, ashamed.

Yet when I bend and take the leap,

I find their depth is not so deep.

The waters thrash, they twist, they curl,

They pull me down, they spin, they whirl.

But when I trust the path unseen,

The tide reveals what lies between.

For every trial shapes my hand,

And teaches me to understand:

That pain, though sharp, can carve a space,

For light to enter, for love’s embrace.

The scars I wear are not in vain,

They tell of courage born through pain.

A broken vessel still can shine,

Its cracks allow the stars to climb.

I climb the mountains, jagged, steep,

Their silence echoes secrets deep.

They do not move, yet still they teach,

That height is gained when strength must reach.

The climb is harsh, my breath runs thin,

The rocks cut deep against my skin.

Yet every bruise, each aching limb,

Becomes a hymn, a rising hymn.

The stars above, though far, still guide,

A map no fear can override.

They flicker, fragile, yet they burn,

Reminding me that all paths turn.

And when the night feels endless, vast,

I learn that shadows cannot last.

For even silence holds a sound,

Of morning’s footsteps on the ground.

And when I stumble, bruised and low,

When bitter winds refuse to slow,

A lantern glows within my chest,

A promise whispered: You are blessed.

Not blessed by ease, nor gilded gold,

But by the courage to be bold.

To rise when ashes choke the air,

To sing when silence grips despair.

To hold a hand when all seems lost,

To walk the fire, despite the cost.

To find in ruins seeds of grace,

That bloom within the darkest place.

I know the road will never cease,

It bends beyond the edge of peace.

But still I walk, for still I grow,

A seed of light the dark can’t throw.

Each morning breaks with softer hue,

Each step remakes the world anew.

The path ahead is mine to take,

Though storms may howl, though mountains shake.

So if you falter, lost, confined,

And endless night consumes your mind,

Remember this: you too contain

A lantern built to bear the rain.

It will not break, it will not fade,

Through storms endured, through trials made.

For every dawn, though slow, must rise,

And paint with fire the morning skies.

For courage is not found in flight,

But in the heart that holds through night.

It grows in silence, breath by breath,

Defies the shadows, mocks the death.

So onward, traveler, lift your head,

The path is yours, the past has bled.

Through pain and joy, through grief and song,

The lantern guides you—carry on.

And when your journey nears its close,

When rivers rest and mountains doze,

You’ll see the truth the night concealed:

That broken hearts can still be healed.

That ashes birth the brightest flame,

That courage wears no crown or name.

That even dust, when kissed by light,

Can shimmer through the longest night.

So walk, dear soul, though shadows chase,

Your lantern is your dwelling place.

And every step, though rough, though long,

Becomes the measure of your song.

For songs survive when voices fade,

And courage lives through trials made.

The road is hard, but you belong—

So lift your lantern, sing your song.