As I stared into the mirror

I dropped my jaw.

So startled was I

By what I saw.

My once sparkling eyes

Were now a dull blue,

And the bright yellow specks

Barely showed through.

When had this happened?

I asked myself.

It was, I answered, when

You put life on a shelf.

Could I get back into life,

I wondered out loud,

Or would I forever be under

This self-designed cloud?

Then I heard a soft whisper

From deep in my soul,

"My sweet child,

You lost sight of life’s goal.

You gave up living

To merely stay alive.

You shut down to the point

Where you spirit couldn’t thrive."

So I made up my mind

To mend my ways,

And live my life fully

For the rest of my days.