"Keep your head up,"
My mother used to say,
How could I now,
When I barely could stand?

For my knees are too weak,
To hold up my fragile frame,
Anchored to the floor,
By the weight of the world.

"Ten tiny breaths,"
My father used to say,
How could I take ten,
When one was a struggle?

For each tear down my face,
Holds an ocean of sadness,
Filling my lungs,
With each staggering breath.

"Don't you dare give up,"
My sister used to say,
But how could I not,
When life was this hard?

When every step I took,
Cut the soles of my feet,
When every smile that I forced,
Felt like pins to my face?

The apologies I feel,
The thank you's flooding my heart,
Are simply not enough,
To tie me down to this life.

So I'm sorry to my family,
But it's killing me inside,
This life of mine,
Is not worth your lines.