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I have walked through many seasons,
bare hands carrying bread and burdens,
a single flame in the dark,
a mother’s voice steady against storms.
I have known the silence of rooms
where laughter once lived,
and the ache of asking favors
that never find their way to lips.
Sometimes it feels as though
I am asked to walk until the end,
my footsteps fading into dust,
my heart still beating for those
who no longer need my arms
but whose futures I cradle in prayer.
I am not as strong as I was,
yet strength still lingers—
in the way I rise each morning,
in the way I hold my children’s names
like hymns upon my tongue.
memories stitched into years of labor,
freelance hours scattered like leaves,
wondering if the worth of staying
is measured in the love I give,
or in the quiet endurance
of a soul that refuses to let go.
let me see their paths unfold,
let me guard them a little longer.
only the grace to stand beside them
until their roots are deep enough
to hold against the winds.
There are nights when headaches
press against my temples,
and tears blur the pages of my prayers.
for the years already given,
for the strength to walk,
even when the road feels endless.
Not finished, not forgotten.
like a fragile flame in my hands.
~ Copyright ©EmperatrizV @Sunflower for Emily, 12 March 2026 - All Rights Reserved
