#stepbystep
By Arcassin Burnham
How did it feel when you took her and made her
Understand that you were the one who cared and
Showed her more compassion?
How did it feel when you've noticed all her
Imperfections letting her go off into the sunset in
A paper town?
How did it feel?
Oh! How did it feel?
Watching over her like the hawk, making sure she'd text back,
Back......
How did it feel when you told her all of those things
Before she ran off and never came back?
How did it feel when you looked for clues and letter boxes
Going on a journey just to see if she'd turn up,
How did it feel?
Oh! How did it feel?
Watching over her like the hawk, making sure she'd text back....
One day, one day.
Aug 31, 2016
Aug 31, 2016 at 11:05 AM UTC
Do you skip stairs? I do it all the time. It’s like a pattern I’ve done since I was little, skipping every other stair. But enough about me.
You’re going somewhere, and to get there you had to go up these stairs. It can be annoying and tiring sometimes, but you do it anyway. Because you’ve got somewhere to be, and this staircase is just a small incline, a small effort to get there. Now don’t get me wrong, elevators are nice too, but you don’t have to do anything but push buttons to get somewhere.
So staircases make you work a bit harder, so what? Why do I care? Well, it reminds me of being able to do simple things, and how we go about our days as if we were made to scale mountains or jump out of airplanes.
And we remember that the small stuff, like climbing stairs, is still something we do because we can. And we forget that a lot of the time. So don’t forget, no matter how many stairs you’ve got to climb, you’re still going up. Thanks for finding my letter.
~Letter Writer
Apr 21, 2017
Apr 21, 2017 at 5:06 AM UTC
As much as you may dwell on the past,
and as much as you may hold onto regrets,
there is no going backwards,
not even by a single step,
so we move forward,
past the torment,
past the pain that lingers incessantly,
into the future history of now,
“Hello,
how have you been,
what more do you want from me,
I’ve already given you my everything,
what more do you want from yourself,
are you satisfied with where you’re at in your life,
I know it’s crazy how we can’t take back a moment,
can’t reverse the hurt can’t make any wrongs right,
and dwelling too much will make a sane man crazy,
so try to remind yourself to find yourself always in the present,
and let’s make the best memories we’ve ever had tonight,
then forget them all so we don’t recollect in regret,
because as much as you may dwell on the past,
and as much as you may hold onto regrets,
there is no going backwards,
not even by a single step…
∆ LaLux ∆
Sep 30, 2018
Sep 30, 2018 at 7:58 AM UTC
your smile
your laugh
your voice
i remember it all
i can recognize you
even from the back
even from the side
i want to have you all for me
yet i know i can’t
i rather not own you at all
Jun 3, 2019
Jun 3, 2019 at 6:28 AM UTC
Some days
The mountain feels impossible.
Too steep.
Too far.
Too heavy on your shoulders.
You look up
And the top feels like a dream
You’ll never reach.
But here’s the truth.
Nobody climbs a mountain
In one step.
They climb it
Step
by
step.
One decision.
One effort.
One moment of courage at a time.
You don’t need to see the whole path.
You just need the strength
To take the next step.
Even when your legs shake.
Even when your mind doubts.
Even when the world says
“Turn back.”
Because the climb
Is what builds you.
Every scar
Every struggle
Every moment you almost quit
Is shaping the person
Who will stand at the top.
So breathe.
Look forward.
And take
one
more
step.
Keep telling yourself one more step
until you get to your destination.
— Itz_All_True ✍🏽🔥
Mar 5
Mar 5, 2026 at 9:05 AM UTC
Step one:
Begin with the quiet understanding
that you are exceptional.
Not in a loud way, that would be tacky,
but in the way gravity assumes the earth revolves around it.
Step two:
Practice listening
not to hear, of course,
but to reload.
Nod occasionally,
tilt your head just enough to seem humane
then redirect every story back to yourself
as naturally as rivers return to the sea
Step three:
Develop a delicate allergy to criticism.
Even the softest suggestion
should feel like an insult wrapped in incompetence.
So respond accordingly:
With a smile sharpened at the edges
and a correction no one asked for.
Step four:
Curate your reflection.
Mirrors are useful,
but people are better.
Surround yourself with those who applaud on cue
and call it “connection”
when it is really just good lighting.
Step five:
Learn the art of empathy.
Not the feeling, don’t be ridiculous,
but the imitation.
Say things like “that must be hard”
while calculating how their hardship
might be used as a stepping stone.
Step six:
Rewrite history often.
You are always the hero,
or the victim,
whichever earns more attention.
Facts are flexible.
Memory is a tool, not a record.
Step seven:
Mistakes do not belong to you.
They hover nearby,
waiting for someone less important to claim them.
Assign blame generously
like a philanthropist of fault.
Step eight:
Measure your worth in reflections
in glances,
in admiration half-spoken.
If the room is not watching you,
the room is wrong.
Step nine:
Keep your heart at a safe distance.
Close enough to reference,
far enough to avoid inconvenience.
Vulnerability is inefficient
and efficiency is everything.
Step ten:
Finally, believe none of this is about you.
Call it confidence.
Call it self-respect.
Call it anything but what it is.
And if, at any point,
you feel a flicker of doubt
quickly, now
return to step one.
After all,
you wouldn’t want to become
ordinary.
Apr 2
Apr 2, 2026 at 3:31 PM UTC