Stand in front of me...

Stand in front of me,

Pain.

You crawled inside my guts

before I could speak,

before I could think,

before I could say no.

Stand in front of me,

Love.

You filled my lungs

before I could give up,

before hate could take root,

before despair swallowed me,

before my mother’s touch.

Stand in front of me,

Sadness.

You stole my mind,

before I sang happy birthday,

before I picked up a pen to write,

before I knew how to fight.

Stand in front of me,

Hope.

You appeared, soft and fierce,

you gave me a reason to live,

a reason to leave,

and maybe,

a reason to stay.