In the cold grips of the world and all that comes with it, I need many things to live.

The basics, of course, to keep my fluttering heart going every fleeting hour.

The basics keep my wandering mind focused, my body fit to pull through the day.

I need the warmth of love that wraps around me like mist enveloping a mountain,

As if milk was poured by Zues himself to saturate the Earth, a real life painting.

My husband, his brave soul interconnected with mine for this life and the next,

My son too, his cherub cheeks and eyes as blue as vast oceans that meet clear skies.

They're something I can't live without and would wither away if I ever lost hold.

But in the end, when all that is in front of me is the calling face of Death

There is only myself who answers when the sand drops its last grain

It is only I who answers for every thought and decision in my time on this planet.

When I slip into slumber, it's only I that sees the visions of the day in dreams.

It is only I who eats, drinks, moves, walks, cries, feels pain, laughs, and all else.

So all I need when I feel alone like a child lost in darkness as I realize

We are alone in this tiresome world and no one else can answer for us but ourselves.

So all I need is not just the unfaltering love of my family, but myself.

I need my self-love, my strength, which carries me through each passing day.

My strength is what wakes me to put a blanket on my son in the cold night,

My strength is what puts a smile on my tired face when my husband jokes.

It keeps me breathing, motivated to continue and live better and face each morning

As the warm sun creeps into my baby-hand smudged windows, I rouse myself to wake.

In dark moments and good, I need and have my family, but I need myself too.

#AllINeedScholarshipSlam