For all of these

For all of these

For all those different paths
we never chose—whether out of fear,
or doubt,
or simply because we were never given the chance to dream of them.

For all those we turned away,
without knowing if they might have freed us or trapped us.
For all those who left behind a quiet sorrow,
a what if we never dared to explore.

For all those we surrendered to,
without daring to raise our voices,
without standing up for what was rightfully ours,
without breaking the chains of habit and fear.

For all we betrayed—
not always by choice, but from weakness,
from exhaustion, from a survival instinct that convinced us
there was no other way.

For all we wronged—
people, moments, even our very selves—
unable to see beyond our own perspective,
unwilling to admit our mistakes.

For all we abandoned—
because they seemed too hard,
or because we couldn’t bear the weight,
or because someone made us believe they weren’t worth it.
For all that deserved a second chance,
but never got one.

For all the fears that paved our way,
that held us back,
that whispered we weren’t enough,
that told us we couldn’t,
that warned us we shouldn’t.

For all the chances we never gave—
to people, to dreams, to ourselves.
For all the bridges we burned
before we ever saw what lay on the other side.

For all we didn’t know how to handle—
the moments that drowned us in uncertainty,
the choices that shook us,
the relationships we didn’t know how to save,
and the wounds we couldn’t quite heal.

For all of these…
that we carry like shadows in our thoughts,
like blurred images deep in the mind,
like whispers that ask us, “What if…?”