Then, at the abyss,

a flame shoots up from us, licked --


by the total fire.

Dear death,
I have dropped the rope
I have crossed the road
I am at the other side
Where I see life,
As I have always known
With struggles although
But I won't break.
I'll live and thrive
Until my body is weak
And my soul you seek
Till then,

With love and light,
I choose life again

the goal was to survive.
but the dream was to live.
I was ready to give it my all.
I just had to stay alive.
then, one day, my whole world came crashing down.
first, I lost someone I loved.
then, I lost myself.
cutting through my grief,
the demons in my head suggested I was better off dead.
but another voice said "you know that's not true."
that's when I remembered.
she always told me
"the goal is to survive but the dream is to live."
I was ready to give up.
but if it means I can keep her dream alive,
I will live. I will survive.

We have forgotten
who we are really looking for
when life doesn't hold on to dreams
then live it without love,
and people are getting busier
to see which place is the most comfortable for themselves,
among the boisterous people
vying to be someone else.

We have forgotten
who actually survives
of a life they call a journey
without understanding
where to go home
and they don't realize
that everything had gone too long.

We have forgotten
who actually fell first
when we don't achieve
everything we chase of
what we didn't have
in the first place;
dream,
hope,
love,
or even ideals,
and we feel
we are no longer worthy.

We have forgotten
that actually words
don't want to escape
from the collection of prayers
that we have recited
over and over,
even if it's repeated
we always insult
and berate ourselves.

We have forgotten,
the simplest way
to be a happy human.

Broken bones and shivering souls,
Harshly uprooted from the ground...

Counting scars and all the holes,
Happiness nowhere to be found...

Hard and thick are all the walls,
Shielding love from all around...

Away from the heart it tries to crawl,
Yet your memories are kept, safe and sound...

I am and always was dead
but brought back to the strife
to that point and place of pain
that moment that marred my life
Breath is better than death
it took time to realise
to be aware I was dead
meant I am alive

You’ve seen me in the valley
On the edge of a fell
A black hanging rock
My face is rough and bleak
My hair is wild heather
My jawline is sharp and rugged
If you stand on my head and look down
It’s a thousand feet drop to the bottom
Grass grows on my chin
The wind has pounded my body over many years
The rain has pelted me very hard
The weather shows me no mercy
Still I sit here petrified
Proud and silent as a stone
Like a survivor