Now I breathe slower.
The cold doesn’t bite as deep,
and the city’s chaos feels like music.
The past year stretched me thin
but didn’t break me.
There’s pride in this perseverance,
in walking the line between wanting and waiting.
I still chase rent, still chase purpose,
but I write my name on new beginnings.
Maybe I’m not where I thought I would be,
but I’m not where I was.
And that is enough for now.
Reynold Mezue Mark is a Nigerian poet and creative writer based in the United Kingdom.