A poem about how Andrew Lawes’ niece gave him the strength to fight his depression and suicidal thoughts.
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His world, forever bathed in dark light
Shades of black define his heart
Inside his soul it’s always midnight
A journey to hell, waiting to depart
Lost in an ocean of misery
Swept away by tormented tide
All he wants is to be free
From his mind and the pain inside
The stormy sea starts to pull him under
The current strong, his body frail
The fight, so hard, he starts to wonder
“Is survival my aim? Is it better to fail?”
“So much pain, too much to cope,
Can’t see a future, can’t forget the past”
Nothing to fight for, an absence of hope
He closes his eyes… peace, at last
But, sent to him from a far-off land
An angel arrives, with a life to save
“Reach out to me, take my hand,
Though life is hard, keep fighting, be brave”
“You are important, even though you can’t see
How special you are, with so much to give
You can’t imagine how the future will be
Be courageous, my friend, we need you to live”
The angel led him back from the brink,
Kept him safe from harm as the waves crashed around
She gave him strength and a reason to think
That his purpose in life was finally found
Photo: Flickr/ Bruce McKay