It’s dark in here,
And what I thought would shelter me,
Only highlights my doubts.
Now, there’s nowhere to run.

Piercing screams wake me,
Raging thoughts that keep clawing at my mind.
Of course, I know I am not asleep.
So, I ask for it to stop.

I just want it to stop.
And I don’t like the spotlight—
The burning brightness in my mind,
Only rage can pierce the night sky.

But I can’t close my eyes,
For, once my lashes fall,
So will my breath—
Only, it won’t rise like the sun.

Sometimes I think I’m too far gone,
Then a hand appears on my shoulder,
And even though I shrug it off,
It persists at my side.

And that hand keeps me steady,
When the world starts swaying too fast.
When the monsters in my head won’t stop—
The hand never lets go.

And in those moments, I feel safe.
Like the strongest winds wouldn't stand a chance;
Like no one would care if I slipped up,
Not even me.

It is that hand that finally pulls me out.
That hand of undying friendship,
One that will guide me to the light
Even after befriending the night.

That hand that doesn’t give up,
Because it knows it can lend out some light.
Even if it leaves itself with only darkness,
The hand will do it anyways.

-Mel