The Struggle

I've lived life in the fast lane, 

down back alley ways, that you would never dare venture,

I've seen hell, injected, over and over, day after day,

I've seen the blank stares of children whose parents are lying asleep

against walls, and in boxes, lining the sidewalks of cities

sang songs with the homeless, the vagabonds of this world adrift in oblivion

I have had second hand coffee in third world countries, the houses, no more than huts

I have felt the painful sting of loss in such ways that one can hardly contrive the impact

I've dealt with death on a daily basis, wondering if I was welcoming its eternal embrace

I have known hurt that is so hungry it can swallow you whole, before it spits you back out

I have been swallowed

I have seen the devastation of a parent abused, a sibling molested, a child left fatherless

I have walked a very hard road, and against all odds, I still walk

So look at me and tell me you can understand my struggle...

Or if you could even imagine such a journey.