A Thousand Versions…

A Thousand Versions

Being a caregiver

has carved a thousand versions of me—

the steady one, the tired one,

and 998 more

sculpted by my calloused hands.

~

Writing is the place

I gather them all,

stacking their shadows and bruises

until I recognize the outline

of who I am beneath their weight.

~

When I put a day, a week, a year into words,

I see strength I didn’t know I spent,

I feel muscles I didn’t know I strained,

a resilience built quietly in the background

of every waking moment.

~

I see the softness, too—

the part of me that refuses to die out,

the flicker that outlives the exhaustion.

~

His persistent smile keeps me anchored

when the current tests my footing.

~

I sail toward the sound of his belly laugh,

and even the waves surrender

to his unseen power,

washing me ashore.

~

A thousand versions of me carved,

bound by one common thread—

he was born to be my miracle,

the singular piece

they all can’t live without.

~

Listen to the A Thousand Versions song here…

~

Here’s a mix of three more of my poems:

~

That’s all from me — Chris B.