Thankful

I could be cliche
And say I'm thankful for possessions, 
That I'm thankful for friends and family,
For a home and a place to rest my head,
For food on the table,
For a man to love, 
And for passionate art that speaks in ways words fail.
It's not that I'm ungrateful for these things
As well as so much more.
But I think what I'm truly thankful for
Is life.
So many times did I long for death,
Did I beg for that sweet release,
Did I hope that something would take my life
Or that I could convince myself to take my own.
Yet, I never did.
Not to say that I got away unscathed,
That I made it through without scars, in one piece,
But I'm still here.
I'm still me.
And through all the pain
And the anxiety
And the depression
And the days where I wanted to give in,
I look past it all
And I see all the good in my life.
I see all the things I could have lost,
All the opportunities
The love
The joy
The chance for the future I've always craved,
And I'm thankful,
Thankful that I didn't force myself to give it all up.