Bloodline

there are

shadows

in my family tree

that whisper

too loud

on sleepless nights

sometimes

I feel them

breathing down

my spine—

in the panic

in the rage

in the wild ache

to protect

what I love

and I wonder

if madness

isn’t something

you catch—

but something

that waits

patiently

to be seen

still

I am here

and I am real

and I am fighting

for the light

with every

quiet breath

because maybe

the bravest thing

is to love

your mind

even

when it tries

to lie to you.