By Anonymous
I venture out into the sunlit day
pink lipstick, dangling earrings, bright smile
too soon my head hammers, eyes burn, muscles ache
I stagger back to bed dazzled by my brief
encounter with the uncommon world
but
I am no longer the lonesome warrior
struggling in a war I cannot win
looked on with disdain and doubt
feeling shamed by disbelief
how can I begin to tell you
how it feels to know that now
there is a longed for hopeful future
just within our reach