The rising chaos, the overwhelming noiseā
I hear a child cry out with a trembling voice.
Her tone is worried, so small and hollow,
Searching for comfort in shadows that follow.
The voice begins to rise into a shout,
Its echo inside me, now twisted with doubt.
WHAT IF? WHAT IF?āthe chill takes hold,
Fear and loneliness growing bold.
What once was soft is now a storm,
Breaking my strength, distorting my form.
The questions, the dread, the looming unknownā
I want to silence this fear I donāt own.
The cries grow louderāI try to escape,
Distracting my mind, reshaping its shape.
I quiet the voice by building a wall,
To block the storm that once seemed small.
But still it grows, that voice inside,
Screaming my fears Iāve tried to hide.
I tear down the wall, tears on my faceā
āYou got me. You win!ā I fall from grace.
With the wall in ruins, I enter the dark,
Searching the silence for a healing spark.
And then I hear itāa whisper, a plea:
The voice I feared was a younger me.
I look in her eyesāso fragile, so trueā
āI was trying to help. I didnāt mean to scare you.ā
āIām just afraid. Thereās so much to protect.
I want to fix things, keep us correct.ā
I kneel beside her and offer my hand,
āYou can guide me, but please understand:
You cannot control me with fear of the unknown.
Thereās beauty in risks and seeds weāve sown.ā
Thereās joy and pain in the road ahead.
But we canāt live shackled to what-if dread.
Each moment we breathe is a chance, a startā
Letās live it with courage and an open heart.