The Weight

 I carry grief from the

 Father shaped crater in my heart

 I carry an old family portrait as a

 Reminder of a happier past

 I carry pain because of

 Other’s complaints

 I carry my religion and

 My love for The Creator

 I carry stress and exhaustion with my

 Passion for straight A’s

 I carry the pressure of the future

 I carry the fear of

 Disappointing my mother

 I carry the constant chill of

 Purple hands and feet

 I carry a heated blanket and mattress pad for my health

 I carry white out

 To fix the imperfections

 I carry the abandonment of relatives

 I carry sweatshirts and baggy clothes

 To swim in my insecurities

 I carry money

 That I never spend

 I carry being the favorite by a brown tail-wagger

 I carry the sky high expectations from

 Every adult I know

 I carry a photograph of my Military brother

 And pray that he arrives

 Home safely

 I carry invisibility wherever I go

 I carry a planner to keep myself in tact

 I carry a need to clean

 In my loneliness

 I carry a cross with my key

 Knowing I can’t get home without Him

 I carry a brain that has been stretched to its limit

 While family says it belongs to a nerd

 I carry the idea

 Of a person I want to be

 I carry a fear of death

 Yet a longing for it