My Woe

I must find my courage if I wish to continue to write.

If I had the strength, would I continue to write?

A question that has haunted
Me forever moves to the forefront of my mind.

To find the strength to face my critics is
Hell; I am struggling to keep my head high as they
Eat away at my soul with their every condemnation.

Decisions unmade haunt me as I
Evaluate my path; I want to continue, but
Mountains of ignorance and hate stand in my way.
Objective advice for crossing them is impossible to find.
Now I must face this task alone.

I'm not sure I can do this.

Coming to terms with the reality called the
Audience makes me aware of my sin.
Numbly, I sit at my computer
Not knowing what to do.
One thing of which I'm certain is
There comes a time when I must stand my ground.

Determined, I opt to silence my critics and
Erase their perceptions of taboo in the written word.
Forever I will toil to present shocking but all-too-real possibilities
Even if they try to blacklist me. It is then
And only then will I be able to say that I
Tried, and hopefully it will make a difference.