Carry Me
I am okay feeling hungry.
I can survive on my feet.
I have run for miles,
And skipped meals,
Making my body reflect the emptiness
That lay like a pit in my soul.
“Exercise more, eat less.
Exercise more, eat less.”
For survival,
I need the only thing that filled my heart
While my belly stayed empty.
It repaired my mind
When my brain felt broken and bruised,
When my heart felt like the treads
Of a boot slowly sank down,
Pushing,
Stepping,
Pushing,
Until the aching hurts like bursting.
It satiated my mind while my body deteriorated,
Being eaten from the inside out
By the fleas of fear,
The snakes of self-doubt,
The heartworms of hate,
The beetles spawned from betrayal,
The parasites of imperfection,
Summoned by the demon called depression.
They bred inside.
Me, somewhere there, allowing it.
When my legs grew too weak,
And I was collapsing on that island
lost in a silently stormy sea of despair,
I found myself floating.
Arms wrapped all the way around
My small frame.
Touching gently,
Firm hands
holding my
heavy heart in place.
Carrying me,
Whispering words
that let me believe I am
working on my own.
In the shelter of these arms I sleep.
In their warmth I know Love is all I need.
I wake.