If I could snap my fingers for you
Take your troubles down
A peg or two

Unencumber you from life’s demands
And set you free
In a moment

I would not

Don’t get me wrong
It hurts to walk away
To wake each day aware that you’re in pain
And feel your years encroach on time
You won’t get back

But if I took away the gift you have
Given to you by years
Of indecision and opportunity

You would not know
The joy of freedom
It would feel empty
You have to earn it

It is not taken
It can’t be bought or sold
Your rights to it are eternal
If you believe it to be true

It’s up to you
To grasp the thread of hope
That waits in you and leads through pain to joy

It’s your decision
Only your footsteps matter
No-one else can get you there

And it sounds horrific
But imagine the alternative,
That there is another who could carry you:

What if they left or died or disappeared
What if your only chance at life
Lived somewhere else?

Your chances lie inside you
They never die so long
As you are living

They are your one true breath
Your fight will be their name
Your prize their liberation

If I could snap my fingers and release you
I would not
But I will hold you close
When times are light and heavy
And life is at your side

For those who know what freedom feels like
Pay the right price
Every time