After hitting a brick wall with your face
Over

And

Over again

After walking against a rubber band that refused to be broken

(for 18 months)

After wading through snow and sleet and humidity and fire and water and electricity and deserts and Edens and hells

After rubbing dollar store ointment on the battle scars and scribbling pointless questions in your diary
(asking if it was all worth it)
tattooing the pointless answers to your forehead, wishing that you were more capable of deep thoughts

When the dust settles
When the roar of the engines have died
When the ugly monsters stop rearing their heads
When all of the hornets retreat

You look down

And realize that what you were overcoming all this time

Was yourself.