No One's Friend

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That stinging in the pit of my stomach, like needles trying to poke their way out...

.....when I've spent the better part of an hour trying desperately to picture a single thing that makes me happy,

....and have come up as empty, in my search, as the depths of a barren abyss.

That ache in my mind, like the dull pounding of a relentless drum...

.....when too many hands are pulling in too many directions....

....and I realize that none of the paths will lead me away from the melancholic despair that consumes me.

That pinch in my cheeks, like the protest of a rubber band stretched too tight...

..... every time another fake smile invades my face...a fragile mask, worn out from covering so many of my lies.

That pain in my heart, like a pool of lava, slowly burning me up from the inside...

...fierce enough to sear a scar, yet all the while, dull enough to force myself to forget.

And perhaps worse still...that empty hole inside my being, where the numbness crept in, gradually robbing me of all my feelings, reminding me that depression is no one's friend.