If I Walked Away..

What would happen if I were to say

I could not do this anymore, and walk away

From the career I had spent so long to build

Deviate from the values that had in me been drilled

That told me to never give up in the face of adversity

To fight with conviction until there was no fight left in me..

*

What would happen if I were to swallow my pride

And admit that my impending burnout had made me decide

To leave the career in which I had invested

My time, sweat and tears, from which I had expected

Some reward in the form of self-fulfillment

For it to consume me was never the intent..

*

What would happen if one day I were to declare

That enough was enough, I could not sacrifice self-care

At the altar of work day after day, without an end in sight

That I was tired of the never-ending fight

Between work and a reasonable life outside

I was exhausted from trying to bridge the divide

*

None of these fantasies is likely to come true

Walking away from my career would be an impossible thing to do

Because I am not yet at the point of no return

There is much I need to experience and learn