You’ve crawled through

the worst of it,

Now all that’s left is to live.

It shouldn’t be too hard, should it?

But three days without sleep,

You can’t remember who you are.

Your arms ache, wrung out,

Your mouth tastes of rust and blood.

You begged your mother to look at you,

To hold you—

But she’s disgusted.

You’re angry now, frightening,

And they don’t know where to turn.

You walk the same stretch of pavement,

Over and over,

Until the sun scorches your skin,

Sweat slicks your face,

And you feel like you’re drowning.

A hand reaches out,

But you tell them to go.

You crave the flood,

Water filling your lungs—

The desperate battle for breath,

For something worse,

Something more real.

They tell you to move on,

That it’s over,

But the world spins too fast,

The pain lodges in your chest like glass,

And no one listens.