Up Again

For those who do it on their own
You are seen
You have a push, a keep-going that is unfathomable
Whether you are up and moving or have fallen and climbing back
You still say, "I have to, for them, it's what I'm here for"
It teaches me--chin up, press on
Hold them tight, eat together, know each other, tell your stories
You are here, completely here
We must be too
It IS a choice, I finally see
A daily stay, a daily push and recover
A knowledge that not all stay
Whether physically present but permanently out
Or gone, having given up or simply waiting for us there
We persevere because fight feels so good
We fight to triumph over death
We push with every single breath
Collapsing and getting up again
Again and again
We fight with a strength so deep
With a joy so full
Because we build it, we bind to it
We can't help but see it, and we choose to build up
We are here
Completely, for one another
For the ones missing someone, for the fallen
We will not let them be without
We will not let them be alone