The Thing That Looms

It rises from the depths

Harboring and stirring like a monster

Wrestling me down with its bear grip on my mind

I’m waging a war within myself

Grappling back-and-forth tug of war

With something that can turn itself invisible

And morph into unrecognizable forms

Sometimes I get the upperhand

Standing above it triumphantly

Other times it beats me

Crushes me under its thousand fears

All I want is to curl up into a protective ball

Wallow in self-pity and hatred

And never face the world again

But every time, I get up.

It’s exhausting, but it’s worth it

This thing is a part of me

Not always fun to deal with

But this was the hand I was dealt

Maybe by God or genetics

So I stand,

I face this thing bravely,

I thrive alongside it.