There it is!
Don't look.
Don't jinx.
A glimmer of something
right there on the brink.
Don't breathe too loud.
Don't get ahead.
I've followed these flickers
and wound up half dead.

But there it is.
Small and bright.
A voice in the distance
that sounds almost right.
A door slightly open.
A window. A sign.
A version of forward
that might just be mine.

I know what comes next
if I let myself believe.
I know how it feels
when the good starts to leave.
I know the exact weight
of hope going wrong.
I've worn it like weather.
I've worn it so long.

But there it is still.
It did not go away.
It's standing there quiet
at the edge of the day.
Not pushing.
Not selling.
Not making a case.
Just holding its ground
with that infuriating face.

So fine.
One step.
Not a leap, not a run.
Not confetti, not fanfare,
not acting like I've won.
Just one foot in front
of the other one.
Just one eye on the crack
where it looks like sun.

I'm not saying I'm ready.
I'm not saying it's real.
I'm not saying I trust
what I'm starting to feel.
I'm just saying it's there.
I'm just saying I see it.
I'm just saying this time
I'm not going to flee it.

Not yet all the way.
But a little.
But some.
But enough to keep going
until the rest comes.
There it is.
Still there.
Still small.
Still bright.
One crack in the grey.
One sliver of light.