I've always been told
That we won't be given
Anymore than we can handle
Where then do we find
The necessary strength
And from where then
Do suicides arise
And from where
Do addictions ambush us

I've been told the strength
Is there for the asking
Why then do I hear
People pleading
Sobs of anguish
Begging for strength

What no one told us
What was kept from our eyes
Until it was just too late
Was the truth
The knowledge
That these days
Of wine and roses
Are nothing more than
Vinegar and thorns
Pressed into open wounds