Sober Synthesis

Darkness”

When I am in the shadow of my darkness comes a cold feeling. A candle thats wick has worn down leaving melted wax upon the table that is my soul. Is there resilience within that cold place? Can I see some light that pushes through snow? Will it appear? If I don’t search for that light then I would be lost. As with any precipice all I can do is step back and summon my inner-strength. An internal beauty only known to some that can find their way through it confiding in others on the edge. They step back and find that beauty.

-Sean Bywaters 8/30/25

The Clock (the day the hands moved forward once again)”

This is this clock that hangs above my computer monitor. It was stuck at 10:41 for months. Time didn’t move. No AM or PM because neither of us knew day from night. I was afraid to lift it and change the battery. I was afraid it would fall, break and shatter on my desk. In a moment of bravery, I stood without my walker and lifted it off the wall from a screw that I hung it on several years ago. It’s been keeping perfect time ever since. I think of the last few years I’ve wasted drinking when I should have been better to myself. The clock is a reminder that all things can be reactivated even in the face of fear.

– Written by Sean Bywaters on 8/22/25 the day of the clock reset.