opposing forces

push and pull
give and take
two forces as married as they're split.

escalation into screaming matches,
where the only winner is the one who never showed up,
the one who didn't witness the scathe and the burn,
the one who wasn't the rope in a match of verbal tug-of-war.

you must resist temptation
whispering in your ear
a tale too familiar for comfort.

let go.
but what's worth letting go of?
what's worth the sacficice and the surrender?
your past?
yes? no? ...maybe?
what do we cling to
when it all flitters and fades into uncertainty?
what's worth the struggle and what's
only perpetuating it?

it's the difference between
commitment and stagnance
responsibility and rotting flesh
mending and rebreaking

hold onto your guns
your goals, your commitments,
and let go of what only holds you back.
mute those wayward thoughts
and listen to what's there,
what's real,
what's true.

choose your battles,
but more importantly, choose your side.
this is a war that must be won.