The Circle Will Hold You
by Crystal Craig

Do not let them numb you.
That is their first victory—
to make you believe the ache is too vast,
the night too endless,
the cruelty too constant to bear.

Each morning—another fracture.
Another betrayal.
Another wound carved into the living body of the world.

They want you choking on the headlines.
They want your chest to cave in,
your spirit to retreat,
your hope left untended.

They want you scattered—
buried beneath an avalanche of outrage,
spinning in the storm of their chaos.

I know you are tired.
I know how your heart longs to close its eyes—
just for a moment—
to not feel the suffering of the world.

Hear me:
You are allowed to rest.
Lay your burdens down without shame.
The circle will hold you until you rise again.
We are not meant to carry this alone.

We take turns.
When your voice falters, I will speak.
When my knees shake, you will steady me.
When one of us is weary,
another steps forward.

This is how we last—
not by hardening,
but by staying human.

Joy is our rebellion.
Joy is our endurance.
Laughter, love, music, dance—
sparks that keep the fire alive.
Embers that light the path through the long night ahead.

So weave your thread with mine.
With your neighbor’s.
With the stranger’s.
With the one who shakes,
but still stands.

Let us become the tapestry
that holds the world together—
every thread a vow,
every knot a refusal.

Do not let them win.
Not today.
Not tomorrow.

For if we stand apart—
we fall.
And there will be no one left
to weave the world back together.