no matter the depth of the cut 

we all bleed the same

no matter the height of the betrayal

we all bleed the same

no matter the cause or the color or the damage done

we all bleed the same

no matter your affliction 

we all bleed the same

no matter your pain

we all bleed the same

no matter the weapon or the reason or how hard the hit

we all bleed the same

take up your banner

raise it up high

let's make the world see

that we all bleed the same

because of the pain,

I will be of use

because of the triumph,

I will be of use

because of the heartache,

I will be of use

because of the wonder,

I will be of use

because of the grief,

I will be of use

because of the joy,

I will be of use

My mind is against me. It won't sit still. It soars to the highest of heights and it plummets to the scariest of depths. And me? My being? Has no control.

My body joins the fight against me. It throws at me the pain, the agony, with seeming abandon. It knows not when to stop. And I must bear that plight alone.

My soul, it is the worst of culprits, for that is where does lie despair. And I cannot let it show. It must be held inside, encapsulated within my spirit where it festers and does damage. Because I must put on the face of hope and having-it-together for the world. Because my family cannot know.