for a moment

Some days, I wake with light in my chest,

whispering, “You are almost there, just breathe.”

The sun feels kinder, the air less heavy,

and I believe again, for a moment, in me.

But then it shifts.

A quiet ache crawls back,

and suddenly the weight of everything

presses on the fragile parts I just rebuilt.

I tell myself, “Hold on.”

Yet the silence answers, “Why bother?”

And I stand between both voices,

drained, from fighting what no one sees.

It is not the storms that break me,

but the constant turning of the tide,

between 'keep going' and 'let go',

between 'I will' and 'I am tired of trying'.

Still, even here,

in the trembling middle,

something small keeps whispering,

'maybe tomorrow will be gentler'.

---

P.S. On days when you are fighting an unseen battle, your lips still deserve reliable comfort.

Get Aloe Lips with Jojoba lip balm. A small, soothing, and dependable pocket of care for your smile.

Kennedy Odhiambo