Mark my words, this shall not ever be
Some pretty lines lost in tragedy
And it won’t admit to everyone
Sallow sadness waxed in pitied fun
 
Where living lies become all but truth
Survival of fit in poignant youth
A screen light shelter in dreaded dark
A bandage to fix a broken heart
 
No, never, can this disgrace be known!
We’ve failed the ones that we call our own
Distract and default to hide what’s real
This doomed poison is the way we feel
 
Feeling power, anger; weathered storm
Or sadness desperate to keep us warm
When the walls close in after “I’m fine”
And breathing stops after shallow time
 
When you cannot say the words to show
How deeply you’re drowning, sweet and slow
When comfort comes in your hideaway
Forget the world, keep the pain at bay
 
But moonlight glimmers while sharp tears fall
So fragile in heartache, china doll
Thoughts that whisper and wallow aside
Tempting an ease forbidden to try
 
Whatever it is depends on fate
The poison is pleasure that lightens state
State of being, mind, or harrowed pain
The drug relieving emotion’s strain
 
But matters of the mind are untouched
When visual needs more vital crutch
Stigma surrounding illness of thought
Ignore the obvious, be it naught
 
So again, once more, don’t take this light
As I plead in words for open sight
We cannot avoid this aching bruise
The longer we wait, much more to lose
 
And while lines on page don’t cure disease
It’s a step to grasp, to try, to seize
A way to heal if can be mended
Your story, future, hasn’t ended.
 
The first step to heal, dear reader, is to ask for help.