Grim determination
Slogging through mud
Breathing through smoke
Blinded by fog

Alone
Isolated
Moving forward with no idea where my foot will fall next

Quicksand lurks
Waiting to pull me down
Backwards
Drowning in despair

These are the images
The feelings
The obstacles
That the world imposes on me

Yet I know
That it is both real
And an illusion
Designed to sap my strength

Because I am not alone
Others walk beside me
If I reach out to them, we’ll walk together

And sometimes there is a break in the smoke and fog

I can move
I can breath
I can see

Hope lights the way, a destination is in sight!

But for now
The light and clarity is just a distant memory
That I hold onto
As I continue to move forward

Through mud
Smoke
Fog

Falling back
On grim determination
To propel me forward