These are not poems

These are survival tactics

When the pain overwhelms

Even though nobody reads them

They help you stay alive

Without them

The harshness might sometimes be

Too much to bear

A kind and sensitive soul

Is destined for pain

In an unwelcoming world

That can turn on you unsuspectedly

And seemingly without reason

Sometimes you think God is in control

And other times you just can’t imagine

Why things happen the way they do

So you take the ups

With the downs

And hope someday your goodwill pays off

And you will be back up again

The devil has tricks

And gets you in ways

That you least expect

You try to lead a decent life

And stay out of trouble

And one day you wake up

And the whole world is screaming in your face

And you don’t even know why

You feel confused and alone

And looking for answers

And the demons are circling

Around your gate

You look for the angels

And it seems like they took the day off

And left you to fend for yourself

In a world you don’t know and don’t understand

So you defend yourself

The best you know how

But sometimes it’s not good enough

And it’s all you can do

Just to survive

All you can do is keep yourself human

And thank God it wasn’t much worse

The angels didn’t abandon you after all

They helped you survive

These are not poems

These are survival tactics