Returning to the Self

Once there was a space to breathe and grow,

A life rebuilt in a calmer flow.

A place where thoughts could freely roam,

Far from the weight of the first old home.

But time returned you to a familiar ground,

To faces loved and the comfort of sound.

Yet comfort cracked under every demand,

As tasks kept piling into your hands.

Take after take with nothing to create,

Every new step delayed by someone else's fate.

Not that their stories lacked meaning or care,

But your own needs vanished into the air.

Each time the spark tried lifting inside,

Another voice pulled it aside.

Days turned heavy, loud, and tight,

Bright mornings fading into restless nights.

You carried burdens never meant to be yours,

Help up lives behind quiet doors.

Not gone, just drifting away from the drive

That once made every moment feel alive.

You missed the place where you used to thrive,

Where waking felt like a reason to strive.

Where time was a friend, seasons aligned,

And life didn't drain the heart and mind.

They said you're strong - and you are, it's true,

But strength can thin when it's stretched through.

How long can one stand holding the weight,

Before the soul whispers, "This isn't your fate."

And then came the slow but certain shift,

A quiet thought becoming a lift:

Not every role was meant to stay,

Not every load was yours to weigh.

Their hands grew steadier, helping their own,

The seeds you supported have finally grown.

No longer needing what you once gave,

Freeing the path you longed to save.

And suddenly breath returned like light,

A calm unfurling through the night.

The fog pulled back, revealing the truth:

Life still waits with open youth.

You rise again with grounded feet,

Choosing roads that feel complete.

Following sparks once dimmed by demand,

Traveling abroad by sea and land.

Alive again in a world made wide,

Moving forward with a steady stride.

The past is no longer a chain or call,

You finally choose yourself above all.

And every step now whispers clear:

The life once lost is returning near.

Not a hope, not luck, not some distant dream,

Just action, choice, and a steady beam.

You are allowed to be your own guide,

No need to shrink, no need to hide.

Everything taken now fades out of view,

As the world opens wide -

and opens for you.