Everyday we go through
Heaven and Hell.
It's a constant battle:
Good versus Evil.
We go through so much
Pain and Heartbreak,
Joy and Excitement
But we're overwhelmed.
For every positive feeling,
There's a negative feeling.
For some of us, that
Negative becomes too powerful.
We become flooded by all
The could've, should've, would've,
The maybes and what ifs.
We forget the little things.
We lose our friends, but
Depression and Anxiety.
We feel dark and cold inside
And we isolate ourselves.
Don't get too close to us
Because we're contagious!
Every second we fade
Deeper into our minds.
We want the world to
Stop so we can relax
And clear our minds
But it just spins faster.
We become so overwhelmed
By negativity that we push
Those close to us further
Because we don't want to hurt them.
Our minds become a whirlpool,
A black hole, pulling us
Down faster and further
And there is no escape.
The only way to stop this,
In our heads, is to say
"The end"
Maybe then it will end.
But it doesn't have to end.
As writers of our lives,
We can end it
Or we can pause.
We can end it with
An "!", "?", or "."
But instead let's pause with
A semicolon.
A semicolon let us
Breathe and gather our thoughts.
It tells everyone that
It's not over yet; just paused.
As writers of our lives,
Pause and rethink our decision
Because our stories are not over yet;
There's so much more left.
Regret nothing from our past.
Rethink no decisions made
Or decisions that we didn't make.
Live in the now and for the future.
We owe it to our friends,
To our families, and
Most importantly to ourselves
To not end but pause.
We all crash and burn, and
That could be the end but
We can be the Phoenix and rise
From the ashes stronger and better.
There are times when I
Felt like giving up and saying
The end, but I remember
My friends and family and the good times.
I could've ended my story
Making it into a tragedy
But instead of ending every sentence,
I paused and carried on.
My story isn't over yet
Because there are no much
That I want to do in life:
Medical school, marriage, kids.
My story is not complete
And I don't want to
Leave a cliffhanger for
My friends, family, everyone.
Out stories are not over yet.
We have so much to live for.
We have so many goals:
Graduation, Job, Love.
Insp;re each other and
Everyone going through the same thing.
Be the warr;ors we are determined to be
And f;ght hard like your life depends on it.
Insp;re!
Be a warr;or!
F;ght on!
Our stories are not over yet.
Robert Frost said,
"Two roads diverged in a yellow wood."
We have two choices.
Pick carefully; it'll make all the difference.
Pick left and end your story
With an "!", "?", or "."
Or pick right and pause
Your story with a semicolon.
**Insp;re!
Be a warr;or!
F;ght on!
Our stories are not over yet;
In memory of those who committed suicide.
To those who have thought about suicide or hurting yourself, have hurt yourself, and/or are suffering from mental illness, know that there are people here who will listen and talk to you. Know that you are not alone.
If you or someone you know have thought or are thinking about suicide, please call the National Suicide Prevention Hotline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255). Someone is available 24/7.
This poem was inspired by Project Semicolon (www.projectsemicolon.org).