My mother was my life, and she saved my life. Without her, I would not have survived my father's death in my teens. How do I survive her death now? There is not another her by my side. I have to save my life. I am the only one who can do it.
The Journey by Mary Oliver
One day you finally knew
what you had to do, and began,
though the voices around you
kept shouting
their bad advice –
though the whole house
began to tremble
and you felt the old tug
at your ankles.
"Mend my life!"
each voice cried.
But you didn't stop.
You knew what you had to do,
though the wind pried
with its stiff fingers
at the very foundations,
though their melancholy
was terrible.
It was already late
enough, and a wild night,
and the road full of fallen
branches and stones.
But little by little,
as you left their voice behind,
the stars began to burn
through the sheets of clouds,
and there was a new voice
which you slowly
recognized as your own,
that kept you company
as you strode deeper and deeper
into the world,
determined to do
the only thing you could do –
determined to save
the only life that you could save.
"Unfucktheworld" by Angel Olsen
It's not just me for you
I have to look out too
I have to save my life
I need some peace of mind
I am the only one now
I am the only one now
I am the only one now
You may not be around
You may not be around
You may not be around