The Weight We Chose

There comes a point where you've given up so much of yourself, you no longer remember what you had to begin with, where you began, or even how to begin again.
You leave behind your dreams, your voice just to keep everything together.
And now, you're numb,
Not broken, just too used to the ache of everything.

You know this isn’t the path meant for you.
It’s not wrong, but it’s not right either.
It’s a place, not a direction.
Yet you're here. Surviving. Holding it all together.
They keep pulling your strings, yet you carry it and hold it all in place.

This isn’t what you deserve.
You know your worth.
You know the fire you carry.
The strength you’ve buried.
The things you could do if only you allowed yourself to;

And yet, you’re stuck,
Somewhere in between;
Between what you left behind and what you never got to reach;
Still holding on to all the broken pieces,
Still pretending it’s just a phase.

But deep down, you know it isn’t,
Because nothing changes,
Because nothing is allowed to.

You know how to shift everything, you could, even now,
But you hold back.
This isn’t living.
Because it’s not.
It’s surviving in slow motion.
It’s fading while smiling.
It’s watching life go on while you remain rooted in something you chose for yourself.

But still…..