These are dark days indeed. Every day feels like it brings a fresh onslaught of horrors. Between worries about social issues, personal financial issues, and the reality of living during a global pandemic, it’s completely understandable that there are a lot of people who are struggling emotionally. I know I am. In the face of a life that currently looks way too uncertain, it’s easy to simply freeze in place. I know that feeling all too well. On a lot of those days, I give myself just one assignment, and if I accomplish that, the day is a success. But there are still those days when just breathing in and out feels like a Herculean task. That’s when I have to practice patience and grace. We are going through a traumatic experience, and some days fighting off the darkness feels like Sisyphus pushing a boulder up a hill. I’m here to encourage you to keep pushing at all costs. Take breaks when you need to, but don’t give up. My newest poem is dedicated to anyone who is struggling right now.

The Valley

Down in the valley on my own,

No one to call, no telephone,

No thing with me except a stone,

That I must push alone,

I push that stone right up the hill,

It doesn’t even test my will,

I know that I possess the skill,

My talents fit the bill,

But just as I achieve the top,

I trip and do a belly flop,

The stone, it just proceeds to drop,

And doesn’t even stop,

Down in the valley once again,

I feel the walls start closing in,

Don’t even know if I can win,

But here I go again,

Pushing that stone back up the hill,

Don’t have the strength, don’t have the will,

To push that stone back up- but still,

I take the bitter pill

Back at the summit I arrive,

I’m Grateful just to be alive,

Before I even count to five,

The stone just takes a dive,

Back to the valley I must go,

Don’t want to leave, but even so,

I have to do it, this I know,

So I trudge down below,

Down in The Valley deep once more,

Don’t know what I keep fighting for,

My back, it hurts, my feet are sore,

And now I know the score,

Though I may scream and I may shout,

No one will come to help me out,

I don’t know what this game’s about,

But there’s just no way out,

Into my mind the dark thoughts creep,

All I want is to go to sleep,

Peaceful silence, dark and deep,

I’d never make a peep,

But I can’t slumber for all time,

To just give up would be a crime,

I dust myself off one more time,

And I begin to climb,