We Have Been Here Before

I have been here before. 

Unsure. Quivering. Shaking in my shoes. 

I am afraid.

I have been here before. And so have you. 

Not knowing. Desperate. Alone.

I have been here before. And come through. So have you. 

I have been here before. 

Praying. Begging. Pleading for good news. 

I have been here before. I have hated it. And so have you. 

I have been here before. 

Angry. Bitter. Cutting. Bleak. 

I have been here before. I didn’t want it. Neither did you.

I have been hopeless. Abandoned. Surrendered. 

I have been here before. So have you. 

Clinging. Clawing. Nails digging in. Clenched jaw. Gnashing teeth. 

I have been here before. You have been here before. We have been here before. 

We have felt alone. We have doubted. We have cursed and cried, sobbed, wailed. Been cut and bled. Felt the weight of worlds shrink our spines and crush our souls. Had our breath stolen and replaced with sludge. 

We have tripped, stumbled, crept. 

We have been trampled to within an inch. 

We’ve circled the drain and been ready to go. Take me. Take me. I can’t bear a second more. 

But we’re here, you and I. We made it. We did. If even for an hour or a day. We’re here. We are. We made it. 

I have been here before and so have you.

We ate fire and grew from within. We never knew it could be done. Swore it was the end. But that spark, that tiny lighted fleck, gave birth to us once more.

We’re here. We made it. We did. 

I have been here before and so have you.

Unsure. Quivering. Shaking in our shoes. 

Not knowing. Begging. Pleading. Praying for more. 

Clinging, clawing, nails digging in. 

Doubting. 

We cursed. We cried. Sobbed and wailed. 

Climbing, reaching, hoping. We’ve surrendered to more. 

I have been broken, left for dead. So have you. 

We’ve been splattered, splintered. Beaten. Crushed. 

But we’re here, you and I. We’re here. We’re here again and again and again and again. 

We’re here despite. We’re here in spite of. We’re here however it works. 

But we’re here, you and I. We’re alive. We made it. We did. And we’ll do it again because we’ve done it before and we’ve done it before because we know we can. 

You’re tired. I know. I’m tired too. 

I’ve been here before and so have you. We have been here before. But we’re here. I’m here.

I’m here because of you.