The Summer Phoenix

Make no mistake,
it is a battle of attrition,
of will and willingness
to fight back,
to claim each golden step
as if it were the last,
and fight on,
to refuse

to suffer.

For suffering
is passive.
You have already lost
when that is your choice.

But battling!
It is gritty, not glorious,
but there is always the chance
of victory.
It is full of possibility,
a refusal to surrender,
to go down perhaps, but
always to rise again
and again,
the summer phoenix,
a light in the distance
despite the relentless dark
that cannot stand
as long as you, do.

About this poem. 

I was discussing depression with a reporter this morning, and I spoke about battling depression vs suffering depression. When we battle, we can win. We take part in our own victory. When we choose to simply suffer, we have already lost.

Me? I choose to be a warrior.

Tom