("this way") = "alive"

with the fragile beats of your heart
and the cracked sound of your voice
You fought to be this way
You fought when you didn't want to
You fought when you didn't think you could
You fought because you never wanted someone
who looks up to you to think
They can't fight
with the fragments of your story untold
and the songs you too seldom muster the courage to write
You fought to be this way
You fought strapped to a hospital bed
in a blue gown you never thought you'd wear
You fought because you didn't want anyone
to ever tell you
Rock bottom is the end
You forgive those who didn't understand you
who thought your rabid moments were brewed
from entitlement instead of pain
You forgive because this world neglects to train us
in the ways of empathy
or that at any point in time
any one of us can stop wanting
to be this way
with the secrets you harbor
and the new passions you stumble upon
You fought to be this way
You fought because you realize that after all this time
Love can be love for a person
as much as love can be love
for the way that numbers rise from dusty graves
like musical notes
to save the world
You fought to be this way
so that no one can ever tell you what is possible
and so that everyone and everything you love
can take part in what is