The lights are strung, the carols play,
But joy feels a million miles away.
My daughters' laughter, their shining eyes,
Lost in the void where my spirit lies.
This holiday season, no gifts can mend
The broken road I’m forced to tend.
Court papers, therapy, miles of red tape,
Each moment, a struggle to escape.
Sobriety's a chain I clutch so tight,
Yet demons call to me late at night.
Their whispers echo: "You'll never be free,"
A fight I wage for the best version of me.
My love is questioned, my heart denied,
Though I give all, I’m met with pride.
A love unproven, mistrust takes hold—
A fragile bond, so brittle, so cold.
Felonies shadow my every stride,
A past I can’t flee, though I’ve tried.
Jobs that vanish, dreams delayed,
Child support for love unpaid.
Miles from home, from family’s grace,
Yet compliance demands I keep my place.
Therapy, classes, appointments to tend,
The grind unyielding, it never ends.
Still, beneath the weight, a flicker glows,
A mother’s love that fiercely knows—
One day, I'll climb this endless climb,
And reclaim what’s lost, one step, one time.
For now, I breathe, I fight, I stand,
This broken heart still demands:
I may be fractured, but I’m not through—
I’ll keep rising, for me, for you.
