“who’s chasing you, bro?” Lily Low Poetry
going in circles
Tick, tock
The hands of her alarm clock moved minutely
Tick, tock
Sat peacefully perched on her desk, paying no mind
Tick, tock
Squeezing her eyes shut, she wills herself to stop thinking
Tick, tock
Battling thought after thought whizzing through her mind
Inhale
Shifting in her bed once more, trying to get comfortable
Exhale
Pacing herself to the sound of her own rhythmic breathing
Inhale
Way too aware of her own breathing
Exhale
Her eyes shot wide open, hand to her chest, her body exhausted
Inhale
Her mind still insistent on going in circles
Exhale
The ceiling and her deadlocked in a staring contest
Little spots dancing across her vision
She blinks awake once more
Her thoughts were on a roll
Its specific cause? Unknown
As her mind was fighting with her urge to rest
A spiral of thoughts, of unrest
Was she becoming complacent?
What really was her passion?
What has become of her goals?
Were they all now dreams of ol’?
Who has she become in the midst of it all?
Was she who she said she was at her very core?
Why was she still in the stage of figuring it out?
Will she ever be enough?
In retrospect, this anguish was unnecessary
Carrying the weight of a world that frankly was not reality
Everyone too is figuring it out (no one has it all, trust me)
Stop berating yourself, let’s turn these sour grapes into jelly
First Domino
I was thinking about dominoes
The first domino of a row
The face
The leader of an arranged pack
The first domino, chosen, leader by default
If he falls from a light tap, shove, or a knock-out
All his men will fall, tumbling down with him
As a kid I adored dominoes
Always playing witness to a sequence
One after another they would fall seamlessly
As though they were all in on the choreography
Now I think of that first domino
I wonder instead
Have many of us have felt such pressure, such weight
Of knowing we are falling apart, yet, discouraged to be?
If you falter at all
Your brigade goes down with you
If you fail to ace this
You would disappoint
If you are anything other than stable
The life of the party, no more
If you lash out without a second thought
We all get swallowed into a fog of doubt, self-hatred
(Seriously) I was (just) thinking about dominoes
everything goes
If you ever needed a reminder
Know that there is always hope
The rain eventually slows, the autumn leaves fall,
the snow melts, the sun sets and rises again,
Everything moves into its next stage with time
Even if it felt like the longest season
Everything goes
We may not know when
We may feel like we will never get out of this mud
But you are worth holding on for
Don’t give up on you
To the days that we feel utterly lost and perplexed
A tiredness that soaks in our bones, our passion burned out
I hope you know you are still you, love will sustain us
We are all finding our way (no one has it all together)
Our seasons of life will change
We may never experience this season of ours again
Let us bask in this time that we have
For Everything goes, no season will last forever
who’s chasing you, bro?
Says the gentlest soul I’ve known. Mid-2024 onwards, I’ve learned more about truly living. From a former high achiever time chaser, this collection puts the development of my journey into words. Instead of solely preparing to live, it is high time that we learn to live.
About the Poet
Lily Low writes online (opinion pieces, poetry, lyrical analysis) advocating for mental health awareness. With a background in Law, her passion for people and their emotional well-being deeply influences her written work. Her main goal is to make the world a little brighter through her passion for words. You can find her as @lilylowstar on Twitter and Instagram.
Contact
Instagram: @lilylowstar
Twitter: @lilylowstar