semantics

We cease to exist
Under the pressure of being
I'm a suicide waiting to happen
And your candle
Has long since expired

I wanted to be authentic
In a world that worships fake
And found myself alone
On the fringes of their reality

Empathy doesnt extend too far
Beyond the realm
Of our own understanding
Before it turns to pity
Intertwined with the condescending tones
Of "aren't we lucky we aren't like that"
Comfortable in the idea that we
Are somehow better
Because our pain is less

And perphaps it's ironic that it took
The suicide of a celebrity
For me to truly understand
The nature of grief
And how death can shatter
More than one universe

Selfishness be damned
Sometimes staying alive
Is our greatest daily achievement
Depression not so much suffered
As endured
Our souls being worn away
Like the crashing of waves
Against a cliff before it crumbles

Today we may cease to exist as anything
More than breath in a body
Unable to stand upright
Under the pressure of being

And for today it is enough
That we find the courage
To breathe

(C) Indie Adams 2014