Keeping On

Today tears were shed

The rain on my window, my landscape

Slow and hindered progress they say

No suprise there

Finally somebody notices

My injury still there, lurking

In my staggered walk I try

But it’s not enough, it’s not enough for them

Not enough for me.

The weakness and imbalance in my muscle

Causing all of the problems, keeps me stuck

Could it be the same in my life pattern

Imbalance and weakness keeping me back?

In a holding pattern I slump down

To be smaller than I know I am.

It seems to be the only way, often.

I feel like I am pretending.

I am good at pretending.

In a car, in the rain, I uncoil.

The pretense fades and it’s just me.

All of the discouraging news finally reaches

And my half glass full heart despairs.

I don’t even turn the wipers on.

I just let it pour. For a moment, I just feel.

As long as one day I see light

I can be patient. As long as this is temporary

I can keep going. I can keep missing my favorite things.

I can keep limping up the stairs.

As long as one day, I’ll be strong again.

Or is this strength, in itself.

Is weakness, and continuing in the weakness

Is that the essence of strength?

And in fact, you can’t get stronger unless you become weak

The work it takes, actually makes you strong.

Half glass full, here it comes again.

Turn the windshield wipers on and

Back on the road I go, in the direction of

keeping on.

With each mundane action,

pretense drapes over me like a thick cloak.