what remained

I followed the wrong stars on purpose. Let them teach me what light costs when you chase it too long. I mistook echoes for directions. Built shelter out of maybes. Stayed where the door was already closing. There are names I don’t say anymore. Not because they hurt, but because they have finished speaking. Every fracture rearranged the map. Every loss thinned me down to what could still walk forward. If I had turned back earlier, I would have missed this ground. This exact weight of air. I stand here made of all the places I fell through. Nothing about me is untouched. Nothing about me is wasted. Whatever I am now is what remained.