I’ve always wondered
if anyone is living the life they imagined.
The one they dreamed of
on quiet nights and hopeful mornings
when every wish felt achievable.

We imagine the home,
the laughter, the joy, the ease.
We fill in the blanks with light,
never knowing how dark
some paths can get.

Some get close,
as life softens in their hands,
and dreams become reality
For others, it shifts,
becomes something heavier,
unplanned, unordered
but learned to carry.

And maybe that’s the trick
not to live the life we imagined,
but to live the one that became ours,
and learn to love it anyway.

Mariam Shittu