The Will

It creeps up, Like a vile snake, Desiring to infect me, Bite me with its fangs, Consume my very body, my very innocence, my very happiness, my very soul. I resist it, With all my might, A painstaking war between disease and survival, Trying desperately to win, To hold onto those fleeting hopes, Of a better life, A painless life, A normal life, A free life. Allies come in droves, Fighting by my side, Not allowing this monster to end me, Because that is what it is, A monster, Only to be combatted by those near and dear, Those close to my heart, Those who have my back, Those who will go to the ends of the Earth for me. Finally it has retreated, Back into its home, In the blackest depths of my heart, For it can never truly be vanquished, Merely exiled, How can something so a part of me ever disappear, Though I have hoped, I have prayed, I have pleaded, I have screamed. But I have also accepted, This debilitating state of being, That has chained me to a life I did not desire, But I must live with, And though it has crippled my legs, And will eventually cripple my body, It will never cripple my spirit, I will persevere, I will survive, I will hope. Because without hope, There is nothing