This is written for someone who stumbled some years ago. The fall was severe enough that there was the very real possibility of never being able to recover and live a normal life. This is not the sort of fall that involves scraped hands and knees, but the kind that involves a severe lapse in judgment—A psycho-spiritual fall. But, over time, this person has shown everyone a willingness to grow that is beyond anyone’s wildest expectations. A new chapter now begins for this being, and we are all filled with hope and wish the absolute best.
Stumble
For someone with potential
A shadow stirred within the hollows of your heart
and writhed amid the shallows of your mind;
it fell across your visage—left you blind
to choices that would raise you up from out the dark
and set you on a course to apprehend rewards
reserved for those whose spirits are aligned
with empathy and wisdom intertwined—
And blinded thus you faltered, fell, and landed hard.
But it takes light to cast the blackest shadow,
and this is light that you have learned to see.
You’ve gotten up again despite the grief and shame
and found you have a bright new path to follow.
You’re wiser now and touched with empathy,
so you should never fail and fall so hard again.
This is my 5th Petrarchan sonnet.
