Time by: Rose Dobson, Mixed media on paper, 2016.
Aphotic Rest
by: Ash Brand
It’s the only choice to make
when all the world is watching.
The radiance wraps around you like ribbons,
you never knew its silk could turn to grit.
Keep smiling, Keep working.
The door was glinting in the dark,
promising to lead you down a vivid path.
No one told you the glow could blind.
No one warned you about
its opaque pressure.
Keep smiling, Keep working.
The choice was clear, but now
it hurts to look at.
You struggle to keep up with the incandesce with all of your might
but you fall
all the same.
You did not collapse in vain.
The shadows mean no harm.
Breathe in, Breathe out.
All-encompassing but not suffocating,
No one can see your cracks.
No one can see you repair yourself.
Breathe in, Breathe out.
You are not less here.
Reinforce your resolve, use the inky blackness
to rewrite your goals.
The door did not crumble because you needed to rebuild.
Take all the time you need
to reach for the knob once more.