Surface Again

"Treat all the bad things like dreams, Kenzie.  

That way, no matter how scary or dark they get, 

you just have to survive until you wake up."

Victoria Schwab, THE UNBOUND

Looking down at the cracks in the side walk, I am careful to step over each one.  Sometimes, I walk too fast and what looks like a crease turns into a dark crevice which swallows me whole.  When my eyes get accustomed to the dark, I know from previous tumbles to look up for the light.

Climbing towards the opening generates a small sense of hope.  I praise my lovely self for remembering how to find my way up, with minimum rips and tears.  I make endless promises of how not to forget these  lessons, all the while knowing I inevitably will tumble again.

What once bled is now a scar, but the memory of shame never fades.  I have sustained, endured, and risen above which once held me slave.  The sound of the dragging chains have fallen to the past, and the sweet melody of life greets me as I surface, once again.