Poem: A Failure

"Failed," you say?

No.

No, I wouldn't say I've failed.

In fact I have been successful.
Very successful indeed.

Crawling wounded from a
crippling childhood.
Surviving morally intact
through painful drug addiction.
Years of homelessness,
countless life disasters.

To look at me you'd never know it.

Am I in pain?
A great deal, constantly.

Am I depressed?
Almost always, as a rule.

Suicidal?
Indeed. I wont deny it.

But a failure...

No.

No, sir.

Not at all a Failure.

A spectacular Success.
Simply to be here.

And still with the ability to love.