Petrified,

Everything is rushing in,

My brain freezes,

Being assaulted

On every front.

A battle in my mind

Ensues;

My morals attempt to flank,

But my desires

Outmaneuver them.

Here comes judgment,

Then societal standards,

Then responsibilities,

Then expectations,

And then commitments.

So there I sit,

In the midst of the battle

That I am told will dictate my future.

Scared,

Scarred,

Sad,

Stoic;

I hide my pain from the battles

Through my laugh in the

Real world.

The pills then come,

But they do nothing,

For I saw them slaughtered

As if they were civilians.

My only friend,

My only companion throughout

The onslaught of my mind

Was hope.

He sits by me throughout

It all,

Giving me a reason to fight ,

To stay on the

Straight and narrow,

To see a better tomorrow

That I knew didn’t exist.

With his stunning green eyes

He sees my pain

That lies under the veneer of

Jokes and smiles.

With his tough grip of his hand

And tight hold of his arm around me

He doesn’t attempt to fix me

Like so many others,

But acknowledges that they are there,

And reassures that we share the same battle

He heals my wounds,

Like a medic,

He takes the shots,

Like a kevlar vest,

He reminds me of me,

Like no other person can.

The shots ring,

The cries screech,

But he stands with me,

And comforts me, not with love,

For I have loved before,

But with a sense of completion,

A sense of finally being whole

I grab Deene's hand,

Heading for a new, peaceful land.