What I've Learned

The axis shifted, not with earthquake’s might,

But dawn of stark, internal light.

Where was I standing, on what age’s shore,

When ego crumpled, and the self asked for more?

Was it childhood’s sandbox, dreams of sun and sand,

Or adult’s mirror, in a weary, work-worn hand?

Perhaps I knew it, deep inside the soul,

That center stage was never my true role.

The fall from grace, the pinprick to the pride,

When shadows lengthened, and the caring died.

How raw the ache, to find the heart betrayed,

By faces smiling, promises unmade.

Did trust, misplaced, carve canyons in my soul?

Each open hand, a story to be told.

Of lessons bitter, etched with burning shame,

The aftertaste of whispered, empty names.

The future mortgaged, for a fleeting thrill,

A consequence ignored, against my better will.

That phantom love, a dance of smoke and lies,

No shame to bear, just wisdom in my eyes.

From loyalty misplaced, what harvest did I reap?

The hollow echo of a promise I could not keep.

Empty coffers, barren fields of trust,

A bitter lesson, born of gilded dust.

Have I learned to navigate by others’ fall,

To read the currents, heeding warning call?

To glean the wisdom, scattered in the wake,

Avoiding shoals where foolish choices break?

Has life taught me, beyond the joy and pain?

That growth resides in sunshine and in rain,

That letting go is strength, not weakness shown,

And the truest compass points from within alone.