Testing the waters of
madness, my foot slips
in and the icy awareness
snaps me back to reality

The circling buzzards
wait and watch as I falter,
yearning to pick clean my bones

I climb onto the slippery
rocks, moving trance-like,
determined not to let the truth
of what was take me down
with it - for being conquered
by delusion is not my will and
though I stumble, I will not fall

Waiting for my surrender will
be their lonely burden, starved
by my fortitude, the negative forces
within and without will be kept
at bay

...and I will survive, triumphant!