I’ve Been Busy Hustling

I’ve been busy hustling,
so busy I started losing myself.
Somewhere along the grind,
I forgot what it feels like
to be alive,
to be happy.

I can’t even remember
the last time joy felt real.

I wake up in the evening
just to start again.
I work through the night,
wait for the shift to end,
eat, scroll,
watch my dreams come true
in the lives of strangers
on social media,
then sleep.

I repeat the cycle
like a clock with no voice,
whispering to myself
that I love what I do
so it won’t feel like work.

But lately,
I’ve realized something painful.
I forgot how to live.

Maybe I got obsessed
with the freedom
my hustle bought,
with the relief of seeing my family
never face the hunger
I once carried in my bones.

Those days when one meal
had to be enough,
when my old, battered phone
felt like a reminder
that I was always behind.

Now I can buy the things
I once only dreamed of.
Now I can breathe
without fear of tomorrow.

But sometimes,
in the quiet moments,
I wonder,
after everything I’ve gained,
after everything I’ve survived,

is this the life I want?
Is all of this worth it?