“You failed”, whispers that voice deep inside
Threatening to crush my spirit forever
Turning the world dark as I fail to see the light
While I struggle with my feelings, my decisions

“You failed”, whispers that voice deep inside
What will everyone think?
I can hear them laughing and sneering behind my back
In my misery they find their relief, that it’s not them who failed

“You failed”, whispers that voice deep inside
Even now, my heart longs to right every wrong in the universe
Mend every broken stitch in the fabric of this world
Even though I know deep inside, humanity has done far too much damage and the world is broken for good

“You failed”, whispers that voice deep inside
It is downright annoying me now
I was crouched into a ball all this while
I slowly stretch and stand up

“You failed”, the whispers rise to a crescendo now
Willing me to fight back, goading me, taunting me
I stand, eyes bright, not with tears but with confidence
I take a deep breath and close my eyes to still my mind

“Yes, I failed!” I scream inside
None of my plans worked out
Yet here I am, standing and moving on
Finding and forging a new path

“Yes, I failed!” I scream inside
I see your eyes judging me
Your lips ready to open and tell me exactly what I did wrong
Your ears waiting to hear me cry

I smile back at you with every ounce of my strength
You have no idea what it takes
I look at you with all the warmth I muster for a rescued kitten
I love that look of disappointment you’re struggling to hide

“Yes, I failed miserably”, I say, still smiling from ear to ear
Still proud, I walk away, leaving you wondering…
But do you realize why I failed?
I do, it’s because I tried.

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Illustrated By: Dr Anisha Kumar (Visit http://ignitingmypassion.wordpress.com)