~ I would stand in the rain for hours if it could wash away all my regrets. The times I laid in wait, claws out and dug in deep. Looking first in one direction and then the other but unable to move toward either. Divergent opinions within that stalled any hopes of reclaiming my youth’s resolution remained constant and formidable. I stayed here for years, peering with dark green eyes at my peers and their accomplishments, perpetually searching for the innocence that once allowed me to dream, and leap without apology. ~

excerpt from: choices, 2019