**Running on Empty**
No, I'm just tired, not from lack of sleep, but from a soul weighed down, a heart in shadows deep.
Drained from burdens carried, tangled in silent screams,
life has morphed to battles,
fading echoing dreams.
Each dawn feels like a war, my spirit caught in strife,
not certain of my footing,
where sorrow meets my life.
I grasp for fleeting whispers,
of hope amid despair,
yet feel the chill of emptiness that haunts me everywhere.
In the quiet,
I wonder,
are they proud of my fight?
For standing through the tempest,
for seeking shards of light.
Amidst the weight of silence,
I search for tranquil shores,
a place to breathe and linger,
where peace forever soars.
But now I wear a mask, pretending I am whole, longing for a moment's grace,
to mend this weary soul.
I jot these thoughts on paper,
a fragile,
silent plea
oh,
grant me strength to carry on,
and set my spirit free.