a decade descends
into yesterday’s ashes,
minutes moving rapidly
despite the debris
you say we must push forward,
that the lesson is in the journey,
that each second brings clarity
even when the dawn is gray
and smoke-stained
because time is a phoenix
but i am not quite ready
to rise from the flames
i am still wandering
down the same empty halls,
lost in this liminal space
while you stand without fear
in the fire of tomorrow
ready to be remade by the blaze
(i’m still struggling
to get through today)
– ashley jane