Sometimes it’s time to look back
To stop dead in your tracks and be still a while
To refill a while
Jam the travelator with a wedge
And turn to face the rough-edged
Yesterdays in your own way

Revel in the rose-tinted happy times
Allow yourself to wallow
In the dark parts
Make sure to let your heart break
Over memories and mistakes
The lost ones, the left ones,
The kissed then missed ones

Trace the path you followed
Swallow your successes whole
And let your failures know
That they had merit too

Then polish off the jagged corners
Of past incidents
And assign them cubby holes
Inside your brain
So you can carry them more comfortably

Don’t lock them in
But gently shut their doors
And let them rest
While you progress along the moving walkway once again
A little lighter then
A little stronger when
You’ve stopped to take stock
Of the trials
Of the triumphs
Of the anchors and oars
The once forbidden doors
Flung open and their prisoners set free
Allowed to be in peace

So that you can carry on,
complete