Depression rips at the heart and burrows deep in soul

It robs you of hope and withers your dreams

It lies and it cheats you of all that you love

And the harder you fight it the stronger it seems

There is no respite, no peace close at hand

There is only the struggle to rise back to life

In spite of the pain that may be waiting

In this world full of strife

And finally you face the greatest of test

For you must decide you own fate

So you dig deep inside on a quest

Past the fear, pain and self-hate

To find what you need to survive

You pull it and prod it and bring it into the light

And with all of its strength you can derive

You face the demons ready to fight

Slowly, you come to wanting to live

And you nurture that goal

With all you can give

From deep in your soul

And when the battle's over

And the battle’s been won

There’s no time to rest

Because the war's just begun.

©2005 Bobbi Ann Duffy