One by One

Photo by Harold Roth

One by one

I let them all go

Closing doors

On friends and foes

Some left me

Social media blocked

Some I shoved

Out the door I then locked

But I accepted

I set them free

I released them

So I could be me

Photo by Philippe Le Tellier

One by one

Recovering the pieces

Unfolding

And smoothing my creases

Old Mother Hubbard

 Has gone away

To clear out space

For the child to play

Teddy bear

Is now my only friend

I am whole

I no longer break, but bend

Photo by Henri Cartier-Bresson:

One by one

I gather my thoughts

Sowing seeds

For my written crops

Gratitude

Is ever present somehow

For small things

That make up my right now

I have changed

I'm not who you used to know

That one is dead

The soil from which I now grow

Photo by Pal-Nils Nilsson

One by one

I lay the bricks thrown at me to pave

A clear path

Where myself is the only one I need to save

I am trusting

That this path will lead to at least one

Deep connection

To reflect just how far we've come

So I hold on

To hope and a belief you exist

I hold on

To you, a dream I can't resist

Oktobre Taylor

Written: January 12, 2022