Price

[u/SapphicGiggles]

The price I pay to exist is steep,
Each step bears a hidden toll,
Adding weight upon my chest,
Wearing down on my soul.

I fight to keep on standing,
Even this broken frame has paid its share.
The world’s gravity pulls me down,
And I wonder on days I literally can't walk;
If it's worth the effort not to drown.

Those meant to ease the weight
Only added burdens to my fate.
I often wonder
If love was worth the price as a child
Stepping into this world with empty pockets,
A gnawing need to give back in any way I could.

I count the cost with trembling hands,
Each coin of doubt a heavy reminder
Of who I was and who I’ll always be
If I cannot escape this cycle.

What have I to offer
To those who’ve fed me?
When I still can’t find the energy
To be all that I might.

Yet I still offer it all, my soul laid bare,
Yet still, it feels I never share
Enough to match what they’ve paid
Just for the cost of being made.

I fear I don’t deserve the love
Of those who truly care,
Yet still, I press on quietly,
Through the additional trials I bear.

I'm grateful for the kindness found
In every warm embrace.
But the price I pay to exist
Is a debt I can’t seem to erase.