This poem is a very special gift to a friend who is going through tough times. All I can ask you is - I wonder what holds you back, my friend?
I stand at the precipice
Thinking the die is cast
Staring into the abyss
I wonder what holds me back.
Is it the soft warmth of loving hands;
Or the sweet memories of a glorious past?
But the hands have grown cold
And the past seems distant
I wonder what holds me back.
Smiles all around and words which ring hollow
From those who say “I understand”
When all I ever wanted was someone
To hold my lonely hand
I shudder, I wither, I rust away
I am the living dead
Will you be my scavenger please?
How can live life when
There is no life left in me?
I wonder what holds me back.
The ties of blood can no longer keep me pure
I have taken the cynic’s pill
Which has no cure
Everyday is a living misery
I’ve dined lavishly but can’t pay the bill
I wonder what holds me back.
A prisoner amongst these four walls
I can hear Plath calling to me
Unable to break free of the shackles
I bounce from one end to the other
Like an echo in an empty hall
I wonder what holds me back.
Each night I cry myself to sleep
Having forgotten who I am
Making promises I’m unable to keep
I tell myself tomorrow will be different
But the dread of tomorrow
Shatters my belief
I wonder what holds me back.
I’m consumed by my sorrows
And dictated by my fears
I’m a timid soul
Longing for love and writhing in neglect
I tried to gather all that I could collect
Can you a trace a path to happiness
Through a pool of tears?
I told myself that things can change
But it always took more than I could give
I wonder what holds me back?
I stand at the precipice
Thinking the die is cast
Staring into the abyss