Hi Hive! It's been a minute. Or several months.

Not quite a year, I don't think, but I've been buried in writing deadlines and have just come through the thick of things. I'm burnt out but oddly happy about it, as I'm incredibly proud of the project I'm wrapping up.

If only I wasn't so damn tired.

I'll have writing updates for you one of these weeks, but for now, I wanted to share the poem that just hopped out of my brain.

Perhaps you have your own thoughts on the subject...

Innocence

Does anyone weather time without
Sacrificing innocence?
Would I, should I have the choice?
Is innocence the embodiment of ignorance, or something purer?

I have no answers.

I hold to optimism, as cynicism rings closer like burning edges on thinning paper.
I hold to faith, as life stretches out, ever more complex. Ever more chaotic.

I see the good things.
The love.
The trees.
The sky.
The waters.
Life is what you focus on,
But it is also more.

There are waves that come when the tide is out,
Eroding the sands of empathy and stealing shells of trust.
There are depths that wait with creatures best forgotten.
There are storms that grow until we can’t see past them.

Where does compassion go to rest?

Joy is the balance.
Sunshine.
Stars.
Creativity.
Kindness.

Perhaps innocence is being able to hope,
Despite the relentless uncertainty of life.

Having gotten that poem out of my head and summoned the energy to share it with you, I will now retire to the couch with a book, as that's all I've got in me right now.

Thanks for reading!