When you look around
And see the world crumbling
Nearby
Far
Everywhere
Every home
Knowing
That it's probably a matter of time
Before that impact draws closer
And closer
Right up to where you're standing
And perhaps even more
You’ve been given a task
To carry a beacon of hope
One you're desperately trying to hold on to
But it flickers quite often
There are days
When it takes all your strength
To just light it up once
But you know you have to light it
Because too many around you are flickering
Too many have given out
After all
Hope is in limited supply these days
You do anything you can
Whatever people suggest
Eat this, drink that
Take deep breaths
Try to work out
Start a gratitude journal
Post happy pictures of colourful flowers
Whatever you can
To keep your circle untouched
To keep that beacon burning
But every effort
Feels like a trick
An attempt to evade
What definitely seems to be coming
And deep down
That gratitude is mixing with guilt
The hope is mixing with grief
And the effort to smile
Is weighing you down
Starting to feel like too much
So maybe for a bit
Just a short bit
Let me put that beacon down
And allow the darkness to engulf
To feel all the emotions
That I've been holding back
That I’ve not been allowing myself to feel
Just lay here
And let the tears flow
Without any attempt to stop them
And in some time
Whenever that is
When the waves of emotions subside
To take those deep breaths
Pull myself back up
Pick up the beacon
And continue to keep it lit
With every bit of me that I can
Because the thing is
The world around is crumbling
But as of this moment
(And who knows how long that moment will last)
I'm not
And I have to keep reminding myself of that
