Still Standing

I pay in worn shoes.
City streets swallow sounds I used to make.

Rain falls without permission.
I stopped asking it to.

I find solace in coffee.
Steam rises, a small peace I didn't earn but take anyway.

Morning light, a reluctant gift.
I take it, still weary.
The world outside is vast and doesn't care.

I step into its noise.
One more day, I begin.
The fire escape creaks under the weight of me.

I sit, and watch, and wait.
The city wakes, unaware I almost didn't.

The silence is not mine to keep.
I claim the morning light.
I am here, still standing.

--Vera