Everybody Should...Stand

I write this down:
To talk some sense into myself,
to help speed things up
when the darkness starts to chew
on the heels of my walking shoes,
to talk myself off of the ledge
when the ice forms on the edge
of my sanity.

Everybody should know
the sound of their own roar
as they stand up against the world
and give it what for

I walk in the world like I’m blind,
separated from those around me
because of the distance
inside my trembling mind.
I hold the key to my own elusive reality,
to turn off the voices and sometimes (finally)
find something a little more imaginary
for a minute or two to better pass the time

Everybody should know
the sound of the silence
as they stand against the wind
and take on its violence

Tears like a baptism
have torn down my face,
pulsed through my heart, washed through my soul
until everything is gone
and I can breathe… without shaking
and I can see… clearly
and the sky accepts me as its own
and I am finally… calm.

Everybody should know
the feeling of release
as they stand before the mirror
with permission to find peace