OUROBOROS

Some days feel like hitting a dead end,

my goals out of reach, my motivation running thin.

Sometimes I wish for everything to just end,

as life seems like a battle that I’m too weak to win.

Like an ouroboros devouring its own tail,

I’m trapped in an endless loop called stagnancy.

No matter how much I try to fight, I still fail,

in the mirror I don’t recognize what I see.

But then a familiar figure blinks back at me,

the face of my past younger self filled with warmth,

whispering words that reveal a silent victory,

clearing the fog that blurs my sense of worth.

“Be gentle to yourself,” reminds the child within.

“Pressure echoes hollow doubts that hold you down.

View our journey from my perspective and take in

the very aspects of you that have grown.”

Just then I realize that I’ve become successful

not in a way that elicits awe or grandeur,

but in many little wins that leave my heart full

and optimistic for my very own future.

Like enjoying a book after months of reading burnout,

celebrating milestones with people I hold dear,

healing from wounds that I never speak about,

and breathing in the crisp air of a new year.

In this cycle I’ll break free like a vine seedling;

I won’t be stagnant, and though at times I wither,

I’ll continue to grow, witness a new beginning,

with enough water, sunlight, and self-care.

Today feels like hitting a dead-end wall,

so I climb.

Kyla Gruta