Anthony Hanible

After Life Life After

After the ending

When the world dimmed

And every door felt final

I found myself wishing

For one more breath of light

Not a return

Not a resurrection

Just a soft reopening

Of whatever waits beyond

The last spoken word

After life

I wished for the echo

Of the life I almost lived

The one I touched in dreams

The one I kept promising myself

I’d reach someday

I wished for the warmth

I never held long enough

For the forgiveness

I meant to give

For the love

I thought I had more time to grow

And in that wishing

Something stirred

A small

Stubborn shimmer

Like a lantern remembering

How to glow

It wasn’t a miracle

It wasn’t a sign

It was simply the truth

That longing itself

Can open a path

So I stepped into the life after

Guided by the wishes

I once whispered into the dark

Wishes that rose like dawn

Wishes that refused to die

Wishes that carried me

Back into becoming

After life

Life after

The place where every wish

You thought was lost

Waits with its hand out

Ready to lead you home