Instructions for Beginning Again

Start by boiling the kettle, small warmth first. Then open a window, let in the smell of rain and traffic. You don’t need a reason to keep going, only a rhythm: one foot, one breath, one cup of tea. Remember how the morning light still slides across the floor, how your name still fits inside your mouth. Forgive the silence between calls, the rooms that echo too long. You’re not lost, just paused. Start again from the steam, the sound, the light.