while you inherently,

devotedly, vehemently

might despise the

raging battle

 

you never would

have gotten where

you are now without

the power of its

influence,

 

would have never

found the strength

that gathered within,

 

never have fostered

the growth that you

needed to arrive

at the place that

you are today,

 

stretched those

limbs

developed those

lungs.

 

and if there  

was never a battle,

fierce as it may be

 

you would not have

found the gold  

or discovered

victory.

 

Heather Pound 2023

Photo by Rod Long on Unsplash