As someone who has struggled, without depreciation,

Battling anxiety and depression,

Panic attacks and isolation,

It gives me great elation

That I can make this declaration

A noted aberration

With zero exaggeration,

Obligation, consternation,

Or parental manipulation:

 

Everything is awesome. 

No, right now it's really true;

Student teaching and a good job, too!

...And my friend dumped that piece of scum.

 

I've sort of always been glass three-quarters empty,

But right now things are looking alright.

And, for once, I'm thinking that I actually might

Belong somewhere in this universal anomaly.

 

I think I realized something today:

The best way to find yourself hope for tomorrow

Is to give someone else your experiences to borrow

And to learn from now or someday.

 

I learned that from the most amazing folks,

Friends who all have been black sheep,

And many who've been caught in floods ten feet deep,

And now I know that happiness is not a hoax.

 

So, although I may still have regular altercations

With mental illness and self-deprecation,

Times of hurt and degradation;

Though I know without hesitation

That there will be times of frustration,

Perhaps even manipulation.

But also those of inspiration,

Relaxation, exploration,

Or my own determination

And they will not meet with extermination.