the moment you feel like

you’ve won

you then realize that the more you advance

the more you have to lose

and nothing ever gets easier

you just learn better ways

to navigate a life that seemingly

becomes tougher

last year I had nothing

and the emptiness was expected

this year I have more

but the emptiness

continues to haunt me

life is a complex thing

that can’t be solved with things

and maybe I’m beginning to realize

the unimportance of material items

maybe the toughness of it all

is making me stronger