Survival

What does it mean? Does it make you strong? Are you invincible?

How do we choose who is strong and who is not?

Is survival that measurement?

Is it a blessing or is it a curse?

Is it something to look forward to?

Is it a shield that keeps you from living life?

Is it a badge of honor, or is it a mark of loneliness?

Are we supposed to be proud?

What if that’s all we know?

What if survival marks you as healthy and well?

Are your problems then trivial?

Because you proved you will survive.

Because you are strong.

Because you don’t need help.

Help is for the weak.

You survived.

You are strong.

Your pain, you have no right to feel it.

For you survived.

You have no right to complain.

But what if I’m trapped?

What if I never get out?

What if I never find peace?

Fighting to exist. Fighting to survive. Fighting and alone.

At what point am I just fighting myself?

But you are strong.

You survived.

Move past your struggles.

You are fine.

You survived.

You are healthy and strong, you exist, you look fine.

N-no excuses, you survived!

Is survival a response to trauma?

Can you, c-can you heal with just that?

Are you damned if you survive?

Are you damned if you don’t?

Do you stay in fight or flight?

Do you stick to what you know?

You survived! It worked!

Does that mean you stick to what you know?

I survived. It worked!

So do I stick with what I know?