The past cannot stay buried,

it breathes beneath the surface,

waiting for the tiny crack in your calm

and then to rise like mist from forgotten waters.

We all carry shadow weights

that coalesce in the fog of time,

appearing without warning,

gnawing at the quiet edges of our dreaming minds.

So call them forward.

Speak their names.

Challenge them,

Let the uncomfortable truth stand in the light with you.

Descend into the depth of your own soul, into the darkness you fear,

and walk through it with open eyes.

Only then will you find peace

settling like soft silent snowflakes

In a winter’s scene.

Only then will you be free

stepping from life’s ruins, unbroken

But stronger,

Oh, so much stronger.

Cry if you must, wail and curse.

Break yourself open.

Exorcise what claws at you

and then rest, finally rest, in the space you have reclaimed.