When do we begin to recognize ourselves again?

It rarely happens
all at once.

It begins quietly.

A familiar scent.

A melody
you haven't heard
in years.

A place
that still feels
like home.

A look.

A gesture.

A few simple words.

A meaningful object
you reach for
without even thinking.

None of them
asks you
to become
someone else.

They simply remind you
how it feels
to be yourself again.

Perhaps
we don't recognize
ourselves again
through answers.

Perhaps...

we recognize ourselves

through the quiet moments

that never stopped
recognizing us.

—

POLMADEVA Thoughts