The Years Between

From the wisdom of my elders,
I suppose it was that I learned
to believe in beginnings.

Imagining that every seed
carried within it a promise,
that every person who held
a dream close enough
could find some way to grow.

I believed that time itself
would recognize the effort
of those who continued forward
through seasons of uncertainty,
that every lesson gathered,
every mistake survived,
would become something valuable.

I thought the years would reveal
the meaning behind every choice.

Yet life keeps some answers
beyond our understanding.
There are songs left unfinished,
moments no one else witnessed,
stories that remain inside people,
waiting for someone to discover them.

Perhaps the greatest wonder
comes from realizing
that a life is never fully known.

A person may carry entire worlds
within their memories,
while those around them continue onward,
never knowing what has been held there.