you peered too long and too closely into other souls
while yours retreated with spite
your own feelings were discarded
and you invested everything into this new charity

but your soul was hiding a tiny spark
kind of like how a tiny flare could set a whole forest on fire
if it was all dried up and gone
like your interest in yourself

slowly, that spark grew and grew
and you felt the heat right about where your heart is
and that was the realization you needed
to track down the remains of yourself

you searched and searched
the inferno in your chest acting as a compass
and leading you to the longest trek you will ever go on, ever
self discovery
-kaitlyn fisher