1: From Darkness Comes The Light

There once was a time where only darkness flourished,

Cradling me in its harsh grasp leaving blood stained hand prints on my soul.

My lungs heavy with burden,

The sting of another's words ringing in my ears even at the most silent hour.

I longed to be free from the heartache.

Free from the invisible chains that bound my exhausted frame to this desolate place,

Withholding any sense of hope from my sight.

Praying to Him to save me from this nightmare

Only to wake up in its midst cursing silently at the heavens.

Many days and many nights I carried this weight on my back

As I wandered alone in search of anything.

Love is an almighty force,

At times rendering us helpless under its spell.

Leaving us weak and tolerant of the most thoughtless acts,

Embracing every single tender moment for the truth

As all else remains invisible.

I willingly accepted another's pain as my own.

Breathing it in so deeply that it seeped through my every pore,

Drenching my very existence.

Despising the one I loved with kind words

And the strength of a small child.

Held captive by ignorance until that day.

When the waves crashed to the shore harder than ever,

The sand cutting through my flesh like a million shards of broken glass.

Until that moment,

My very being existed for none other

Than the one who joyfully twisted the knife into my back.

My reflection no more than a stranger before me.

When out of this bitter confusion,

Amidst these unholy walls of chaotic sanctity, 

A single life was spared.

One that would surely had been lost

If it weren't for the blinding light shining down

From a place that I had forgot existed.

A vivid,

Brilliant light

Reaching for me through the shadows,

Bathing me in all that was good.

The fear that I had allowed to guide me through so much uncertainty,

Suddenly replaced by a strength that I had lost long ago,

Only growing stronger

As it crushed through the tear stained bricks of this familiar haven.

Bittersweet,

For what appeared to be the end of this thousand mile journey,

Peering down at the grass beneath my feet

Where once the vines and thorns held such a painful grip,

In awe of what my eyes had conceived.

A revelation never to be expected while in the depths of my tragedy.

At last, I stood alone.

Bearing only the weight of my healing soul.

Comforted.

Content.

Free-