Austin Belanger writes

Never

Never is a life

Of wasted dreams,
Sad days,
And lonely nights.
Never is a life
Of wasted time,
What if's,
And lost love,
Or of what "could have been."
Never is what life becomes
When there is nothing
But an emptiness or loss,
And a voice that says,
"You are meaningless....unworthy."
Never is the eternal "no"
Through which we bind our own souls in defeat,
Where I'm never good enough.
Or smart enough.
Or capable of seeing the race through.
Never is a life,
A sadness
Defined by our inner voices of despair,
The life of second-guessing
That denies us anything
That resembles happiness
By paralyzing our ambitions
Through unfounded fear.
For fear is the truth of the never.
All the power of its darkness,
And all that is possesses,
Is but a vapor,
A shadow which blots out our light.
It has no real substance.
We grant it its power.
We must free our souls
And break our chains,
We must face our never.
Being fearless in its shifting face,
The lie,
That it is but a mirage
Fleeing before a steely gaze.

Resolve and action
Dissipate these specters
That guard the gates
Of our own private prisons.
Take the keys,
Unlock the doors.
Choose to walk out into the light
As one born anew.
Live the life
That fulfills your own joy,
Accepting
That you deserve happiness
Because you chose it
Over the darkness,
Leaving the slow
Agony of this death to its own gallows.
Be free.

 Gallows -- Jeremy Moore