I'LL PRESS ON

i press on...
because i am loved.
i won't sink into the abyss.
darkness is not for me.
i want to search for the light.

i press on...
when it all seems hopeless.
i search for meaning.
work hard.
never give up.
i must endure this pain.

for what do i have,
if i give in?
drunkenness,
isolation,
sloth,
loss of self,
and ultimately, death.

i press on...
for myself.
to endure, i must be selfish.
to truly love,
i must love myself, first.
this is the honest way.

for no man has complete joy.
no man achieves perfection.
in pain, there is always hope.
the journey is what counts.
so, i'll live with the pain.
it can always be worse.
i'll press on.