Tribute to Myself (Prompt: tribute)

On days like these

when every step is a misstep

and every word is misspoken,

I feel completely

misunderstood and unappreciated

and I think it perfectly

reasonable to pay tribute to

myself,

as no one else knows

the trouble I’ve seen

and tried to fix

and eventually gave up on.

It veers closely to self-pity

but in essence,

I congratulate myself

on not diving into drink

or otherwise deserting,

shrinking from this fight.

I just recognize that

today I have lost,

but with a dollop of grace

I’ll be given another shot,

perhaps to endure

masterfully enough

so that I’ll have it

in my heart

to look beyond myself

and my collection

of impossible, miserable

personal

puzzles.