So strong were the bars of hell

For many years I was ragged and torn,
By something which no-one could see.
It lost me friends, it lost me love,
It lost me the life that could be.

Then I cracked, and fell down the hole,
Which had been dug over the years.
It broke my mind, pulled me apart,
Those many hours I drowned in tears.

But then the people that really loved me,
Something that I had never seen,
Picked me up, and balanced my being,
Gave me shoulders on which to lean.

Because of them I know the life,
Of friends and love so dear.
Every time I think of it,
Tears of joy this time appear.

They made me better, they made me sane,
They made me want to live.
Because of them I know the joy,
Of all the love that hadn't been.

To them this poem I dedicate,
with my soul now light and free.
Because of their selfless act,
I want to live for me.