I’ve swum through the darkest waters
pushing the mud and the filth out of the way
I’ve battled depression, suicidal thoughts, lust,
and heartbreak and at the same time, struggling
as a single mother, none of which has diminished
my fighting power; I keep persisting. For years,
I searched for something extraordinary to prove
that I have lived a life worth living
with the materialistic things I possessed
I forgot to include “me” in my own life. I could
not keep a smile on my face; I existed
for everyone else’s enjoyment.