There is a beautiful light coming for you
A stunning moment of clarity
A moment where you release your laughter, so long chained by your swollen heart
There is a chaotic release coming to bless you
These words that your therapist uses for you
“Depressed,” “anxious,” “obsessive,”
They are just words
You will wake up tomorrow morning and breathe in the sun
You will harness its warmth and take
a small step into the blindingly brilliant moments ahead of you
I say these things because I know these things
There are moments when I feel like these words are all that I can live to be
Just a fleeting piece of time and need
But I, and you, my friend, are not simply words
We are stories, we are heartbeats, smiles that someone
would wait forever to be in the presence of
I waited so long to be pulled out of the darkness
As you see now, I am a force of creativity, wit, laughter, dreams, ambition
I wanted to give up so badly that I almost did
But there are people and places who are waiting for you with open arms
I have done so many things that I never believed I could do
Things that my mind told me I would never be enough for,
things that had me convinced the world would swallow me whole
But my heart reminded me that it’s not just about me anymore,
it’s about all of us who live with cinderblocks in our throats
When soldiers are thrust into war,
they are reminded that they not only fight for their lives, but the lives of others
I chose to fight for myself so that I could help others slide into their armor
You are worth fighting for
So bring your sword with your tongue,
bring your shield with your intelligence,
bring your armor with your wit
I will not say that I know when the brilliance will touch you
I will not say that the sunlight will always dip you in its glow
But I will say that there are moments where the whole world breathes in succession
Where the trees and flowers reach toward the sun
You will reach toward the sun
And be covered in its warmth
And you will fight
And we will stand with you
