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 yelling 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
