"What's In A Label?"

I am kind

Years of putdowns and slanders put invisible cuts where they would not heal

Broken skin will mend again, but does the heart so easily?

Although I do not care to trust again another with my plights

I still lend a caring ear to those who need it because I understand

I understand, so I am kind

I am lost

The daze of days and nights whizzing past as I waste my life

Caught up in the whirlwind of the achievements I am expected to accomplish

There is nothing to help me stay afloat, so I am pulled under the violent current of expectation and disappointment

All those around me turning me every which way in the forest of choices so that I am disoriented and cannot find a path

My compass is nowhere to be found, so I am lost

I am lonely

A sapling trying to grow amongst the briars

Reaching out through the ever-growing darkness of my mind for comfort

Forsaken and rejected despite the millions that surround me

Well-known faces that are nothing more than wisps of smoke on the wind

Empty laughter and forced smiles

I have no one, so I am lonely

I am strong

Pushing through despite the horde of whispers assaulting me

"You'll never be good enough"

"Everyone hates you"

"Nothing will make a difference in the end. You won't make a difference in the end"

But still, I trudge through the despairing mire

Feet inching forward as the mud sucks at them

Like a yoked ox, I pull my load faithfully

Making progress no matter how small

I carry on, so I am strong