The Crutch That Cripples

Inhale. Exhale... Inhale. Hold.

I would move forward but I'm too brittle.

So I stay here,

Leaning, with the crutch that cripples.

I do not lean alone, there is always another:

A stranger, lover, friend, or brother

We laugh between coughs;

Sometime we cry;

We all dream to step forward,

But none wish to try.

We all love our crutch,

It holds us steady and offers hope.

Although hope lasts 5 minutes,

Then we're just leaning, trying to cope.

Sometimes I try to walk

Only to fall flat; left only to crawl.

So I crawl a short distance

Before turning back to the wall.

Upright I ponder freedom,

Like an out-of-grasp riddle,

Only chained by my choice,

Leaning, with the crutch that cripples.