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She caught her breath one day
and realized the life she had expected –
one of progress and accomplishment –
was not the one encircling her.
She moved gently forward,
hands outstretched
patting the uncertainties
like a woman moving into
a darkened bedroom.
The space felt, at once,
comfortable and precarious.
She made a promise then
to kindle a light if she could
or forgive herself  if she couldn’t
and to explore her surroundings
    its soft soothings and
    its sharp surprises
until she recognized it
as her own.