Never Backward

Inspired by 𝚂𝚊𝚕𝚝𝚠𝚊𝚝𝚎𝚛 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚂𝚊𝚐𝚎's August prompt (the road that led me here)

the dust rises and settles
from the dirt roads
in rural south carolina
with one stoplight
and a thousand judgements
disguised as
bless your hearts
the way it is
the way it’s always been
no room for why

the gravel ones lead
in and out of my childhood home
close my eyes,
and I still hear
the rattling rudiments of the pebbles
the backbeats under tires
the familiar melody
brings me back
to myself

the never-finished roads
of Charlotte
the queen city
who has yet to define herself
before redefining
I was stuck there
in that same loop
before finding
my way out
her definitions
never quite fit

the streets lined with giants
and lights that glow
constant
a persistent noise
a hum of life
and of struggle
pulled me in
like a siren

my 6am walk to work
those busy streets
where smiles pass by
the same nameless neighbors
each day

the faint but stifling heat
rising from subway grates
no matter the season
the clouds that pour
from each crack and crevice
settle on my skin
opening me up
to the most me
I’ve ever been

the roads that led me here
loosed my grip
of control
of fear
of what if
and forced me to
keep going
never backward
and finally
brought me
to myself