on days
when my stars are in exile
and fears have built canopies too high
with sentinels on a false frontier
guarding the withered trees in my fort
and the greyed flowers in my garden,
what good is a sunrise?
of light that you can’t reach,
for a hope that you can’t ignite.
But through these darkest hours
If I could paint a Moon beside me
to mirror the embers in my heart
and reflect the rays from my sunset
Maybe there’s still life I will find,
nested atop those snags
and dispersed across these yards.
Maybe there are tints of perseverance
stained across the wilt
and roots of gratitude
buried in the dirt.
Maybe that’s what I need
until I can conjure
some stars again.
© Madhuvandhi Ravi 2023
Some days, until hope makes it, gratitude is what keeps me going.