resilience – Renee Hargrave

Revival

Sunshine radiated off the water’s surface
And my burnt skin felt warm to the touch for the first time in years
Clarity flooded my mind as the light broke through the trees
The fresh air flooded my lungs
And the summer heat began to cast away all remnants of the sea
My surroundings are more barren than usual
But it has allowed me to see what was lost in between
Gray cities and broken concrete
Suffocated me until there was almost nothing left
Nature has returned me to my roots
Found deep within the desert terrain

Lexeme

The things I have been through
Have been written down
If you look close enough,
You’ll see the many times
I’ve died over the years
Hands
Where they never belonged
How different I would be
If I’d had the courage to say no
But I have never been very good
At knowing what’s best for myself
Even in the moments
When I knew something was wrong
I allowed myself to go unnoticed
And chose to regret this later
The decisions I have made
Have always come at a cost
Until my soul
Was left an empty shell
I would repair this, you see
But there is very little fight
Left within these pages