Struggling Not to Backslide
Certainty
I cast a net into the ocean,
sure of what I’ll catch,
but time and fate and winds of change
bring back the unforeseen.
I mark a page in my journal,
confident of what my life will bring,
but twists and turns and stumbles unknown
lead down an unexpected road.
I see myself in a passing glimpse,
in a mirror that has hung
forever it seems in the same place.
And I say to my image “Who will you be
when I look again tomorrow?”
Quite sure and quite confident
that I have no idea.
Climbing
Some days seem dark,
and void of meaning,
wrapped in confusion and filled with missteps.
Others bring light,
and understanding,
a full grasp of what is and has been.
Progression tends to come in plateaus, periods of ascension,
then long, bleak spans of flailing that test us,
making us question and wonder if we are still climbing at all.
Pride
I swallowed my pride,
Because life taught me it was expendable.
And watched while others insisted keeping theirs.
I swallowed my dreams so others could follow theirs,
Insisting that they were more relevant.
I sacrificed my life’s path,
Because others felt mine was without consequence.
I bent myself to accommodate
Because others were louder with their desires.
I wiggled and molded until the mold broke,
Then I stopped,
And found myself again.
Not So Easy
I always believed peace would come easily.
It seemed like something natural that we’re given
at birth, like sight or hearing.
But time and the rush of the world taught me
that it’s not acquired so freely.
Oftentimes it’s a struggle to find
and more so to keep.
It’s an ongoing process
tested with each choice along the way.
A signpost, a traffic light,
directing which way to travel.
Sometimes not to the easier road
Or untroubled path,
But surely the one in the end
that will bring us home.
Copyright © 2024 by Evelyn Klebert
Evelyn Klebert 