I walk in a somber, desolate, desperate daze,
Struggling to climb from the depths of blinding darkness.
Only to be trapped within a murky smoke filled haze,
That overwhelms like a black tenebrous cataract that is endless.
My mind is the tenacious, terrible enemy,
The claustrophobic cage from which there is no fortunate escape,
It taunts and terrorizes, and stealthily steals my energy
And surrounds me like a smothering, oppressive, stifling cape.
But perhaps I see a spark, an infinitesimal glimmer of hope
As a sliver of dawning light shines quietly through,
And reveals an unforeseen providence to cope
With a new, yet tenuous glimmer of morning dew.
So..... I stand slight, yet strong like an oak with unyielding limbs that refuse to bend,
With deep roots that forswear to give way to the searing