You don't tell your friends that suicide is selfish. You tell them that they're loved.

My granddaughters bounce
in bikinis to the pool;
now hardly children.

this is not a love poem
this is a poem about you
you and only you
your reflection creates
a portrait of beauty

this is not a love poem
this is a poem about the self
do not ever neglect it
you will need it back one day

this is not a love poem
this is a poem about me
loving you

all of you

I've always tried to take life by the reins;
It's always been my instinctive reaction,
That if demons knocked upon my door,
I'd sprint towards distraction.

And if they dragged me down to hell,
I'd stare Satan straight in the face.
I'd square up to the beast, flip the bird to defeat,
I'd say "*******, Satan! Not today!"

But sometimes your courage fails you,
Sometimes your legs get sore,
You want to punch and kick and run like hell,
But sometimes you can't fight any more.

No human can run forever,
But demon's can and they'll never quit.
But the only thing harder than being unwell,
Is finding the strength to admit it.

Well, here goes nothing.

Sometimes it hurts to breathe.
Other times I'm running on automatic.
Sometimes I'm in control - which leads me to question the God that thought it was a good idea to put somebody like me in charge of the vital function of getting the air into my lungs.
But most of the time, I'm not.
I don't focus on breathing.
So it goes up and down and speeds up and slows down and comes out heavy and comes out quietly a n d t h e n i t s t o p s
And I'm free for a moment.

There's fates worse than dying,
Like never living at all.