Why Do I Write

Why do I write?
You might as well ask
Why I swim,
Why I love,
Why I breathe--
It helps me live,
Helps me cope
With the madness around me
And within me, these voices
Telling me I'm nothing,
I'm a hypocrite,
I'm a failure.
It helps me cope
Helps me sort out my thoughts
And my pain
From a heart torn
In opposite directions.
Why do I write?
You might as well ask
Why I teach,
Why I love,
Why I breathe--
It's my purpose,
My passion,
My hidden source of strength,
My style of prayer,
My best train of thought.
Why do I write?
You might as well ask
Why I live,
Why I love,
Why I breathe--
God made me this way,
Complete with my flaws
My vices,
My voices,
My weaknesses.
Why do I write?
For the same reason
You speak
Or draw
Or paint
Or sing
Or simply sit
In silence.
Why do I write?
To express myself--
To say what otherwise
Would remain unsaid.