The Unspoken Costs of Freedom

I should not be defined by one thing or another

But if you must judge me, please do so by my character, not my skin color

No, we may not all have the same mother

But that doesn't mean we can't all love each other

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A world of hate, gone mad and cold

Hollow eyes replace once bright souls

Stripped of houses, stripped of homes

All hope shattered and left all alone

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Long days and endless nights steal more than memory

Disturbing all light around and erasing all serenity

The darkness jumps and flickers and threatens me

With doubt, with fear, with crippling anxiety

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All trapped and broken by our own designs

Causing the slow, scary declines of our minds

Cemented in a race against blurring the concept of time

Doing the best to avoid it but still crossing lines

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When can we breathe? When is it okay?

To exhale, relax, and feel like we won for a day

Battle cries roar out, songs sung to say

"Think about tomorrow, for today has already been paid."