Joy Again

I stumble in shadow,
sight stolen by darkness—
yet the walls feel known,
like a place my soul has wandered before.

Grief presses against my chest,
a weight so heavy it steals my breath.
My heart fractures—
alone, cold, trembling.
I ask the silence: How did I arrive here?

Then—
a storm of memory,
pages flipping in an album of my life.
I’ve walked this abyss before.
I survived.
Not only survived—
I bloomed.
I became radiant.

A whisper rises in the stillness:
“You can do it again.”
The voice is mine.
I stand, fragile yet fierce,
searching for light.

Nine years ago,
I tried to extinguish out my flame forever—
but mercy,
God’s hand,
would not let me fall.

I rise, still shaking,
until a warmth touches my face—
sun breaking through.
I move toward it,
and there—
a mirror waits.

The light I chase
is not ahead,
not outside—
it burns within.

I am the light.

And in that knowing,
sorrow dissolves into joy,
peace settles in my bones.
I vow:
never again
will I let another hand
dim my flame.

JMS