Marks of Struggle

On my heel, a sting, then a flare of heat,

a blister swells up with each trudging beat.

Red and raw, it reminds me to tread,

the path of my choices, where progress can shred.

I stopped to pop it, a small act of pain,

yet every step forward is marked by the strain.

Lessons left scars that ache with each stride,

the cost of the journey is hard to abide.