Can a broken heart mend itself?
Can a wiltering rose survive?
Because I have been to hell and back and I am still alive.

I’ve lived a thousand deaths,
Cried a thousand tears,
Lived through all my nightmares,
And conquered all my fears.

I’ve traveled through the deserts,
Sailed through all the seas,
And I have been to hell and back,
Depending on only me.

08/08/1987

Author's Note: I wrote this when I was eleven on a boating trip with my parents. It has been kind of my anthem ever since.

Posted on 03/19/2003
Copyright © 2025 Lisa-Dawn Sparling