Rebirth

 The nights grew darker,

yet somehow
they began to shine.

My life once felt
like a long descent into shadows,
each day heavier than the last.
But darkness, I learned,
is not the end—
it is a womb.

At the edge of my breaking,
I found light.
Not waiting for me—
but rising from within me.

I gathered myself
from the ruins of yesterday,
washed my wounds with patience,
and whispered kindness
to the parts of me
that were forgotten.

I gave myself a rebirth. 

The glow I carry now
is not borrowed from the sun—
it is earned,
forged in silence,
polished by pain,
protected by peace.

I walk lighter now.

Closer to light each day.
Closer to myself.

I left behind
what stole my breath,
what dimmed my soul,
what asked me to shrink
for comfort.

And in choosing peace,
I chose life.

I am glowing day by day—
not because the dark is gone,
but because
it no longer owns me. 

                                             KULSOOM AFZAL