We've come so far, we've done so much,
We fight to stay on top,
Each day brings trials and fears anew,
But that doesn't make us stop.
We face each day with hopes renewed,
And pray that we will cope,
We may despair and we may weep,
But we never give up hope.
Some days are long, never seeming to end,
How do we muddle through?
But,somehow,somewhere,we get the strength,
To do what we have to do.
And sometimes it seems what little we've gained,
Is gone with the break of day,
All the doubts and fears return full force,
How do we continue this way?
Well, we may have fears and doubt our worth,
And let others dominate,
We may not speak up and voice our fears,
But, personally, I think we're great!
For who else would go outside their door,
With trembling limbs and fears galore,
With choking feelings in their throats,
Which makes each breath a chore.
To line up at the local bank,
While anxiety is so high,
That you want to run, and scream and cry,
And often question...WHY?
To stand in line at the marketplace,
And stay there, even though,
The nausea wells up inside you and,
You so desperately want to go.
When aches and pains give you no rest,
When muscles are tight and sore,
When your stomach churns and you tell yourself,
You just can't take any more.
Yet, every day we continue to fight,
And every day we gain,
A little more self-confidence,
Which helps to ease the pain.
For each situation that we face,
For each fear we override,
For staying and not running away,
Can fill us with great pride.
Let me say, if everyone on earth,
Experienced five minutes of panic,
They'd never say, "Snap out of it, girl!"
Or, "Why do you act so manic?"
They'd never say, "Give yourself a shake,
Why don't you try harder to fight?"
Or, "Maybe you give in too easily,
Hang loose, you're too uptight!"
They'd know how it feels to live in fear,
And wouldn't be so fast,
To judge and throw out those cliches,
Their understanding would be vast.
They would pin a medal on our chests,
And declare a special day,
We would finally get recognition,
They'd know why we feel this way.
For we are brave and we have grit,
Now that, one can't deny,
Agoraphobics are to be commended,
For God knows...we really try.
by Eileen Power
copyright 1987
