sometimes

the things people say that are

meant to be complimentary,

words like survivor or strong

in various different ways,

to you–they ring a bit untrue

or sting

 

since it wasn’t like you

asked for the hand you were

dealt

 

it wasn’t that you simply rose

as phoenix from the ashes

made new

 

because, really–

putting one foot in front

of the other was something

you had no choice

but to do

 

and just because you can

carry the weight you’ve inherited

does not mean for one second

it isn’t really, really

heavy

 

–but i hope it’s lighter than it used to be

 

heather pound 2024

Photo by Mikita Yo on Unsplash