Don’t give up on me

While I am busy

giving up on myself

When I see myself in the mirror

And can’t recognize

Who I am

Through the tears

When the days

Are far too heavy

To give my lungs

Room enough

To expand

And the nights

Are an open-ended silence

That, in the shadows,

Will swallow you whole

When I am planning my escape

When I am left hoping

In the darkness

That maybe, just maybe,

God will flood me in his mercy

And finally

Take me home

It is warm there

And full of light

Colors we cannot fathom

With the echoes

Of angel voices

In a lullaby

And rest

Beautiful

Eternal

Rest

But do not give up on me

Though my mind and soul

Are already there, in that place

For my body is still here

For as long as it is given

And I need someone to believe

That I can muster up this journey

When I cannot, for myself