mine…

I own my past
with my relapses and growth,
my losses and wins.

I am grateful for the challenges I chose.
I have found blessings in the ones I did not.

I applaud my successes;
allow myself to grieve all misses –
near and far.

I act as ethically as I can.
When I learn better,
I try, and,
step by step, do better.

The moral compass in my pocket;
it is borrowed.
Used for years, I value its precision.
Clarity.
It is, like its true owner, dependable.
Secure.

And while it points due north,
that path –
the one with flowers I’ve never stopped to smell before – veers to the west.

Still, mostly, mind you, north, but
north by northwest
for at least a few paces.

So now, the questions:
Would a few steps out of your alignment –
would they be relapse or growth?
Can I own the challenge of forging and foraging?
Which success – arctic or floral
(which miss – aurora or fire lily)
would be more bounty than burden?
Which step is mine to take?