Who am I?

This is a question I often ask myself

Do I need help?

Or is it just in my head?

It hits me at 4 a.m., lying awake in my bed

 

I struggle more than I should, I know

But it’s hard to get over the fear

Of my own tears

The salty taste

Of each and every one, streaming down my face, one by one

 

Somedays life is too fast

Then it is still as stone

I’m counting the days until I don’t feel alone

I’m too much one day and then not enough

It’s been a long while, and it’s really quite tough

 

I wake up in the morning and put on a mask

I say “It’s fine” and “I’m okay”

But I don’t know if I can make it through the day

I try not to cry

And when people ask, all I do is lie

 

I have friends and a family, why am I not happy?

Everyone else seems good

So why am I misunderstood?

I don’t have visible scars

I’m wishing on my lucky stars

 

Maybe someone will see me someday

For who I am

Until then the odds I will defy

I pick myself up and say that I can

I will not be shy

 

I will stand up for others who need my help

I will tell my story loud and proud

Lift others up who feel they are bound

While unspoken rules and judgments break them

I will lift up my pen

 

All that time I thought I was alone

I really was not

So many people feel caught

In the same trap as you and me

We feel as if we are drowning and cannot be seen

 

And the answer to the question you have asked,

Who am I?

 

You are loved

You are brave

You are strong

You are never, never alone