Faint Reflection

I found her standing in the haze, A softer shape from distant days. Her eyes were calm, her breath was thin, Like she was made of everything I'd been. She moved as if the world was kind, No tremor threaded through her mind. I reached to touch her open hand, But felt it slipping like loose sand. The one I used to be still lingers near, A faint reflection made of fear. She watches every choice I make, A shadow born from my mistakes. [Verse with heartbeat pulse] Her outline flickers as I speak, A quiet stutter growing weak. She tries to mouth a silent plea— A warning carved from memory. Two versions drifting out of sync, One steps forward, one can’t blink. She’s everything I couldn’t save, A fading imprint I forgave. The one I used to be still lingers near, But fades each time I persevere. Her voice is softer than before, A distant knock behind a door. I tell her she can rest at last, Release the static of the past. Her form dissolves in trembling light, A quiet blessing in the night. And though her face begins to blur, A gentler strength wakes up in her. She walks away without regret— A part of me I won’t forget. The one I used to be still lingers near, But moves with me instead of fear. Not haunting me, but opening A path toward something strengthening. The one I used to be drifts out of view, But leaves a spark to carry through. And though she’s gone, I understand— I’ve grown beyond what I once planned.