Softening Rock

This pumice stone, rough to the touch,

reminds me of life and how it can clutch.

A shower’s warmth pools, where hopes used to shine,

its edges worn down, much like my own spine.

Time smooths the harshness, chips at the doubt,

turning the jagged to gentle, a route.

Yet in the weariness, there's strength to be found,

we’re polished by struggles, in silence unbound.