I gave up once –
and ice crept in, slow and silent.
I gave up once –
and floated in clouds too high to breathe.
I gave up once –
and fire bled through me.
I gave up once –
and the shadows came to stay.
I gave up once –
and let the darkness close my eyes.
I gave up once –
and tore love from my chest.
I gave up again –
and met the sun with open eyes.
Then I rose –
and love, like dawn, reached out to hold me.
I rose –
and struck a match against the dark.
I rose –
and stepped beyond the edges of the shadow.
I rose –
and felt a flame bloom in my chest.
I rose –
and the sky, once veiled, grew clear and blue.
Still I rise –
and the sun, once feared,
is mine to face.
