The Archetype of the Unlived

I took myself out of the running

Time and time again

Hesitated, paused, forgetting to breathe

Thoughtful caution

Or so I thought

Delayed action

My own undoing

Life—not pursuing

A shadow

Cunning

Kept me on the sidelines

Dangling reprieve

~

Pardoned, not

I doubted more

Certain uncertainty

Underscore

Procrastination

A wind-puff

Riding hesitation’s coattails

delaying

delaying

delaying everything more…

~

Temporary becomes habitual

Chronic, deliberate

Put off today until tomorrow

Tomorrow to the next

Next to sometime, someday

Imprisoned

By shadow

I tell myself

Because lies are easier

Then, ending this ritual

A lesson haunts; I won’t read the text

I won’t take Shadow’s hand

Come out to play

~

Fear and overthinking

Have led me astray

Perfectionism

Guilt

Stress

Have pressed the pause button

On deliberate

Indefinite delay

Shadow cringes

As I stall

Might I fade into the backdrop

While a contour

Bears it all

~

Author's note: My poem is a sample from my current project, my debut poetry collection slated for release in December 2026.

Originally published on 03/11/26 on Medium

Many thanks to all who read!