two months spent
in the coldest of all winters
living in the wilderness
relying on flint and steel
to warm my bones
relying on strangers
to nourish my body
relying on mother earth's energy
to mend
what was left of my broken soul

two years spent
in treatment
recovering from
the abuse
the heartbreak
the trauma
the self-destruction

never once did i believe
that i would still be alive at twenty-one
but i recovered
i prevailed
i am a survivor