i will not lie,

you may not ever get over this,

but you can get through it

 

one foot in front of other

one decision at a time.

 

and i will not sugar-coat it,

the going may be more arduous

than you ever imagined

 

but if you keep on moving

you will find that walking becomes

easier with each passing mile and

the gravity that pulls you back is less

 

and less, until one day you will realise

just how far that you have roamed

and that experience monstrous

is but a dot in distance.

 

your wounds, while scarred, have

healed now and very seldom ache

and your heart that felt like boulder

heavy is buoyant and gathers in the sun.

 

and you will lift your head and gasp

with the freshness of the air in lungs

that struggled once to breathe

 

and your eyes, blinded previously

by waterfalls of tears, will drink in

beauty once again.

 

i will not minimize the things that you

are feeling now…

 

but i can assure you without a shadow

of a doubt, that as you keep on going

and moving

and breathing

and living,

you can–and will –get through.

 

Heather Pound 2023

Photo by Noémi Macavei-Katócz on Unsplash