I sit where stone meets shore, spine steady, eyes lifted. The moon does not pull me forward it calls me into its alignment. I feel the weight of choice rest cleanly in my hands. The water mirrors my stillness, not because I command it,but because I walk it, but because I am present. Lanterns pass like markers on a long road each one saying: continue. The mountains hold their line and remind me what endurance looks like when it is rooted in care. I do not force the path. I commit to it. I walk though it My strength listens before it moves. My will protects what is tender without trying to own it. I am the step that follows the pause. The vow that walks itself into the world. The promise that stays after the feeling has spoken. She listens. He acts. Neither leads alone. The moon reflects in water because the shore holds firm.
