During my recovery from a stroke, I was given the gift of time — weeks of rest that became an opportunity to look inward. Writing poems helped me reflect, adjust my daily rhythm, and anchor the changes I needed to make.

What at first felt like a pause, I now see as a valuable stopover: a chance to move forward at a slower pace, with more attention to the inner world.

This cycle of poems is shaped by patience and gratitude, by rest and reflection. I share them with the hope that they may also speak to others who have known moments of interruption, change, or recovery.

Cover illustration: Odysseus and his ship near the sea monster of Charybdis, etching by the author, 2024