The Journey Inward

So close,
So close I can feel it,
I am nearly there,
To all that awaits me,
All that could be,
The freedom I have fought for,
It is all within my reach now.

Yet it is not to be-
Not for me, not today.
Instead, I feel pain,
Disappointment, frustration,
A lack of understanding, a lack of gratitude,
Because it was all within my reach.

But maybe it wasn't the destination,
Nor the goal,
That was ever the point,
But instead the journey,
The journey to transformation.
And with that, I die free,
With it all in my reach.

Photo: The Ulysses S. Grant Civil War Statues, Washington, DC. 12.17.23 by LA