The sun may be high
while the tide is going out
and you are laying in the sand
perishing in the elements
like a beached starfish
or a three-quarters dead traveler
waiting for a Samaritan
who can make a difference for that one.

But sometimes the Samaritan doesn’t come.
All you get are Priests and Levites,
Thoughts and Prayers.
Do you just lay there and die?
You can never just do something
but you must
quit that job, break that relationship;
make healing an intentional war.

Carry yourself prepared
to give up your life
for a better headspace.
Save yourself.
If it’s wrong to you, then fight it.
If it’s a boundary, then hold it.
People are so much stronger than they think
when they bear down while the sun beats down.

Because you might just deserve to die
if you refuse to live.