Unwilling Warrior

An endless cycle--
Rinse, Lather, Repeat.
Brave words and glances
that I truly, desperately believe,
yet the coward in me would shrink from the pain,
from the lightning-sharp thief
of my sanity and goodwill.

Unwilling warrior,
girl cowering behind armor,
armed only with narcotics and sarcasm...
fighting on, fighting in,
fighting, ever fighting for one
cool, clean gulp of air
untainted by smoky pain.