Chin Up

It’s getting harder to

keep my chin up

with the weight of the world pulling it down.

I see the cracks in the pavement,

the dirt and discarded things.

Gutter water seems like an ocean in which I could drown.

It’s hard to look up when the sun seems too bright.

I’ve been in the dark so long,

I’ve become aversive to the light.

I left an ember sparking in me,

to help me warm my bones and soul.

That little spark has started to ignite.

The sunlight lifts my chin and frames its rays like a crown,

I feel that warmth surround me

and remember I don’t always have to look down.